Home Security: How to Make Your Home Burglar-Resistant

Home security is a huge concern these days, given the increasingly unsafe
environment we live in. The fact is, there are a number of easy, practical steps
you can take to minimize the chances of your home being burglarized.

* Prevention if usually better than cure. Before you rent or buy a home /
apartment, get to know the neighborhood. Talk to residents; ask about burglaries
and other crimes in the locality. Being aware of what has been happening in the
area should be a priority.

* If possible, have a security expert evaluate the home. Incidentally, many
police departments will do a security check of your home at no cost. You will
often be alerted to problems you didn't know existed.

* Don't hide keys outside the house for fear of being locked out. Getting a
locksmith to open your door is a whole lot cheaper than losing valuables because
a burglar discovered your hidden keys!

Where possible, team up with a neighbor and hold one set of each other's keys.
That way you have a spare set of keys available should the need arise.

* Trim bushes around your house before they grow enough to easily hide an
intruder.

* Having good lighting around your home or apartment complex is an important
factor in deterring intruders. If there are burnt-out bulbs or the lighting is
inadequate, address the issue

* If you have windows accessible using fire escapes or directly from the ground,
they should not open wide enough to let a person in. A screw built into the
frame can accomplish this. There are other very effective stops also available.
Of course, you should be able to escape in the event of a fire.

* There are anti-lift devices available that can prevent an entire window or
sliding door being lifted out of its frame. If you do not install them, thieves
may make locks irrelevant by lifting the window or door.

* Your door should have a dead bolt, not just the lock in the knob. Get one
installed, if you don't have one already.

* Avoid listing your complete address in the phone book. List only your street
name, at most. This will prevent someone doing reverse listings to find out your
name and phone number using your address.

* It is tempting to leave notes for your kids or neighbors on mailboxes and
doors. This is an open declaration that you are not home.

* Do not announce your absence from home through your answering machine.
Incidentally, an answering machine can be useful for identifying suspicious
patterns of missed calls.

* There are a number of excellent home security systems available. If you feel
the level of risk warrants it, consider using them.

* Decals are often a good deterrent. Alarm system decals or beware of dog,
neighborhood watch signs can make would-be burglars think twice.

Utilize these suggestions and you will make your home a safer place to live in.

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Joe Timbers has written on href="http://www.home-and-office-security-guide.info/">home and office
security including ideas on href="http://www.home-and-office-security-guide.info/enhancing-home-security.html">enhancing
home security, href="http://www.home-and-office-security-guide.info/home-security-tips.html">tips
for home security while on vacation and more. Click on the previous links to
see some of his articles.
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Mindfulness And Mental Health Improvement

What's going on in your head? Until you know, there can be all sorts of
problems. Uncorrectable problems. You can't fix a problem that you don't see,
right? That is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness and mental health are
intimately connected.

Your mind is busy in there right now, talking about all sorts of things. It may
be telling you that you are tired of your job, or that you are a victim of
circumstance. It may be running through a list of all the things you need to be
doing. It may be saying all the wrong things, and yet you may hear none of it.
You may just feel a slight anxiety building as your day goes on.

When I first learned how to do basic mindfulness exercises, I was amazed. I
found that whole conversations were going on just below consciousness. Not only
was it interesting to see, but the most amazing part was that I could now often
end feelings of worry or anxiety. All I had to do was stop and watch my mind
until I found the cause.

Yes, it actually is often that simple. If you forgot to write down an
appointment, for example, it may be bothering you for hours. As soon as you see
that, you write it down and you feel relaxed again. If an argument is playing
and replaying subconsciously in your mind and stressing you out, often just
bringing it to consciousness will make you laugh and dismiss it.

Mindfulness And Long Term Mental Health

Don't underestimate the power of short term happiness and good thoughts to
influence the course of your mental health over the longer term. Resolve
anxieties and stresses now, and regularly, and you'll be healthier, and you'll
be developing good habits. Good feelings now lead to good feelings in the
future, and habits are what we need for any long term results.

As for the big problems, mindfulness is a way to see them more clearly for what
they are. As you get better at tuning into your own subconscious mind, you will
start to see patterns. I found, for example, that my mind was mulling over and
worrying about all the possible choices in decisions that weren't made. It
caused me endless stress.

Seeing this clearly, finally recognizing how destructive this habit of
indecisiveness was, lead me to change. I started making decisions more quickly,
just to try a new way. I immediately experienced how stress diminishes once a
decision is made. My habits began to change, and I was getting more done with
less anxiety.

The most basic mindfulness exercise is to just sit quietly and start paying
attention to everything going on in your body and mind. Of course this can be
difficult if you've never done it, and this article isn't a how-to. This is just
to make the case that it's worth learning. There is definitely a connection
between mindfulness and mental health.

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Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You
can find a good HREF="http://www.TheMeditationSite.com/a-mindfulnessexercise.html">mindfulness
exercise and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at:
http://www.TheMeditationSite.com
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How a Hard of Hearing Person Hears

A hearing loss is complex. It varies from person to person depending on the degree and type of their hearing loss and personal adaptation.

Effective communication begins with understanding:
Better communication does not necessarily mean speaking louder. Hard of hearing people do not hear more softly; they hear differently.

A hearing aid amplifies sounds, which the hard of hearing person can, in some way, pick up by the ear. If the person cannot hear certain sounds, a hearing aid will not restore the ability to hear them.

Hearing is situational. You may hear in one situation and not in another. For example, a small room with two people is a better listening environment than a noisy cafeteria or gathering.

Many hard of hearing persons rely on the other speaker’s facial expressions and gestures to supplement what they hear.

Tips on Communication with a Hard of Hearing Person

Attract their attention: They must be ready to listen or key words at the beginning of messages will be missed and the rest will be meaningless. They need time to change thoughts and focus on you. Use other beginnings such as names, ex: “Harry, about so-and-so” and then your message.

Move close and face them: Move closer to make your voice louder and clearer. Face them so they can “see” the word sounds on your lips as you talk. Also, your voice fades rapidly around corners or when your back is turned.

Speak slowly and distinctly: We hear and we understand. The hard of hearing often do not. They must combine uncertain hearing, body language and guesses into words, and then into meaningful thoughts – often one step at a time, a slow business. When words come too rapidly or are slurred and weak, systems overload and shut off and listening stops.

Wait or move closer when it’s noisy: Even people with normal hearing have trouble when it’s noisy.

Watch carefully as you speak. Stop whenever you see signs of uncertainty – something has been missed. Start again, watching to be sure you are understood. If this is not successful then rephrase your message as only 30% of speech can be read on the lips.

TIPS ON ONE-TO-ONE COMMUNICATION WITH A DEAF PERSON

Ø Look directly at the person while speaking. Even a slight turn of the head can obscure the Deaf person’s vision. Other distracting factors affecting communication include moustaches obscuring the lips and habits such as smoking, pencil-chewing, and putting hands in front of the face.

Ø Speak slowly and clearly; but exaggeration and overemphasis of words distort lip movements, making speechreading more difficult.


Ø It is important to have the Deaf person’s attention before speaking. Since Deaf people can’t hear the usual call to attention, they may need a tap on the shoulder, a wave of the hand, or other visual signals to gain attention.

Ø Pantomime, body language, and facial expression are important factors in communication. Be sure you use all of them.


Ø Try to maintain eye contact with the Deaf person. Eye contact helps convey the feeling of direct communication. If an interpreter is present, continue to talk directly to the Deaf person who can turn to the interpreter if the need arises.

Ø Try to re-phrase a thought rather than repeating the same words. Sometimes a group of lip movements is difficult to speechread. If the person doesn’t understand you, try to restate the sentence.


Ø Don’t be embarrassed about communicating via paper and pencil. Getting the message across is more important than the medium used.

Ø In communicating with a Deaf person it is a good idea to remember that intelligence, personality, age of onset of deaf ness, language background, listening skills, lipreading and speech abilities all vary with each Deaf person, just as the skills and personality of every person vary.


Ø Every Deaf person will communicate in a different way. Some will use speech only; some will use a combination of sign language, fingerspelling, and speech; some will write; some will use body language and facial expression to supplement their interaction.

http://www.sjdhhs.com/issues_on_deafness_and_hard_of_h.htm

BREAKING ALL THE RULES News

New Year’s Resolutions Made By Dogs :

1. I will try to understand that the cat is from Venus and I am from Mars.
2. I will circulate a petition that “Leg Humping” be a juried competition in major dog shows.
3. I will always scoot before licking.
4. I will kill the sock this year. Kill the sock! Must kill the sock!
5. I will not chase the stick unless I see it leave his hand.
6. I will take time from my busy schedule to stop and smell the behinds.
7. I will no longer be beholden to the sound of the can opener.
8. I will remember where I bury each and every treasure.