Summer First Aid Tips

5 Summer First Aid Tips

2012 JULY 8

by Ken

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From time to time all of that fun in the sun can lead to injuries, no matter how careful you may be.  However, with a little planning and preparation you can have what you need on hand should anything go wrong.  Check out these simple solutions to some of summer’s most common ailments.

1. Poison ivy pain remedy. Treatment for a poison ivy rash is pretty simple. If you know you have been exposed to poison ivy wash your hands with soap and water immediately to avoid a break out.  If it’s too late for that, soak the area in a cool bath with oatmeal to reduce the itching.  Dry off gently and apply calamine lotion to the infected area.  Make sure to wash everything that came into contact with the plant or your rash, including clothes, shoes, jacket, pets, and sheets.  If the rash starts oozing or if there is any swelling, seek a physician immediately as this may indicate an allergic reaction.
2. Bee sting treatment. The first thing you need to do when you or your child is stung by a bee is remove the stinger from the site of the sting.  Do this carefully using the edge of a credit card to scrape it out of the skin.  Try not to push any more of the venom into the skin.  Once the stinger is out, you can apply a paste of baking soda or meat tenderizer and water and let that paste pull out the venom.  Leave the paste on for 20 to 30 minutes.  Hold a cold compress on the injured area to take some of the pain away.  Apply a topical hydrocortisone cream to the area to relieve the pain.  Slight swelling of the area is common, but if severe swelling occurs or if breathing becomes labored and difficult head to the nearest emergency room.
3. Solutions for swimmer’s ear. Often swimming frequently will lead to a condition known as swimmer’s ear. This condition is apparent when the ear is very painful when you tug on it, and there may also be stuff draining from the ear.  Do not stick anything into the ear.  The ear could be red and itchy.  Try over the counter swimmer’s ear drops.  If the symptoms persist for longer than 24 hours then you will need to seek medical advice.  Your doctor may be able to prescribe some drops to kill any bacterial infection that has formed in the ear.  A home remedy to prevent swimmer’s ear is to put a drop of alcohol and a drop of vinegar in each ear before and after going to the water.  This will dry out the ear so that the bacterium does not form.
4. Say so long to skin infections. Cuts and scrapes can become infected if not treated correctly. The first thing you should do is to wash the area with soap and water, and then dry it carefully.  If the cut is deep and bleeding hold a clean cloth with constant pressure on the injury for several minutes.  If after 5 minutes of pressure the cut is still bleeding you may need stitches so you should seek a medical evaluation.  Leave the cut or scrape open to the air if possible because it may help it heal faster that way.  If the cut or scrape is in an area that is likely to get dirty then cover it with an adhesive bandage.  Antibacterial ointment may help speed up healing.
5. Avoid heat exhaustion. Heat exhaustion can come up on you in a hurry if you aren’t careful.  To circumvent this, try to avoid engaging in any intense physical exercise during the hottest part of the day, and make sure that you and your children stay adequately hydrated.  If you or your children are out in the heat and feel faint, nauseous, experience cramping, or have a rapid heart rate you need to get out of the sun immediately.  Find some shade or air conditioning right away.  Drink some cool water or a sports drink until the symptoms subside.  Be very careful with heat exhaustion, because if left untreated it may turn into heat stroke, which could be life threatening.

Related content:

1. Allergic Reactions in Kids: Signs and Treatments
2. 8 Ways to Tell Your Child May Have Serious Allergies
3. 10 Important Items for a Nanny’s First Aid Kit

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Source: (http://www.nannypro.com/blog/5-summer-first-aid-tips/)

Self-Improvement Projects to Assign Yourself This Summer

50 Fun Self-Improvement Projects to Assign Yourself This Summer

July 8th, 2012 by Staff Writers

Distinguishing do-it-yourself projects from self-improvement projects can be a fine line. We think the test should be: will you look back one day and wish you'd done it? Really anything that involves learning a new skill and broadening your horizons can be considered self-improvement. Since it's summertime, we've assembled some ideas for improving yourself that are also pretty fun. Some of our recommendations will take half an hour and be free, and some will take all summer or require a financial outlay. But when you're finished, you'll be all the better for it.

The Arts

1. Write your autobiography: Step one: Read Stephen King's half-autobiography, half-writing guide On Writing. Step two: Use his wisdom to write a compelling narrative of your life to this point.
2. Take 12 Photowalks: Once a week this summer, grab your camera or cameraphone and head out the door and photograph your community. For extra credit, turn it into a coffee table book at the end of the summer.
3. Pick up the trombone: Forget the harmonica. The trombone is one of the easiest instruments to learn to play, and a used one can be had off eBay or at a garage sale for about $75.
4. Write a love song: According to Dierks Bentley, to write a song for your main squeeze, learn the G,C, and D chords. Also, slow ballads are best, and "the right words are 90% of what you’re going for."
5. Train your vocal chords: YouTube is full of singing coaches offering you free advice on how to become a better singer, so give them a look and improve your pipes.
6. Learn to read music: Don't worry, there's no judgment here that you still can't read music. But for all the musical activities you're going to be doing this summer, it's time you picked up a how-to book and learned.
7. Tackle a "best novels" list: Even if you only get through one or two books, there is some fantastic literature out there to catch up on if you read the Cliffs Notes in high school English.
8. Learn to salsa: Admit it: all that Dancing with the Stars you've been watching has you wishing you could cut a rug like that. Take a class, watch a video, or read a book and have that next dance.
9. Become a calligrapher: Perfecting calligraphy is a great way to create gifts for people or to make decorations for your home. Teach yourself from online tutorials or take a class with an instructor.

Food and Health

10. Roll your own sushi: Ever wondered why sushi is so expensive? You'll have a better idea after you try your hand rolling your own California rolls and tiger eyes.
11. Become a raw food chef: Raw food diets are sweeping the nation, and the health benefits are many. Pick up a raw cookbook (and a dehydrator if you're really enthusiastic), and discover what healthy and delicious meals can be made with uncooked food.
12. Acquaint yourself with wine: If you can't tell a red from a white, spend the summer sipping Pinot and Chardonnay while you read a beginner's guide to wines.
13. Start juicing: Juicing is a big part of the raw food craze; everyone from MMA fighters to pro basketball players are endorsing it. Invest in a decent machine and start experimenting with flavors.
14. Compete to lose weight: Here's the test for deciding if you need to lose weight: Are you an American? If you answered yes, try entering a contest with cash prizes as motivation for shedding pounds.
15. Master the art of cooking meat: Let the legendary Julia Child be your Yoda on the journey to perfect meat preparation, from broiling to braising to pan-searing.
16. Become a mixmaster: When word gets out that you can make the perfect Bellini DuBois, you'll never miss a party invitation again.
17. Enter an extreme race: Push your limits by competing in an extreme race like Tough Mudder, where you're forced to slog your way through (or over) a 15-mile course of mud, water, and even fire.
18. Yoga: There are yoga poses to improve everything from back pain to irritable bowel syndrome. Even if you're the picture of physical health, yoga can be a great way to relax and improve your mental health, as well.
19. Improve your memory: Regularly playing board games like chess and solving brain puzzles can help you improve your memory, a project that fits in nicely to a three-month vacation or just summer Saturdays.

Safety

20. Get a concealed handgun license: We might be blurring the lines between self-improvement and self-defense with this one, but getting a CHL is an activity that can pay off in a big way.
21. Learn CPR: In the time of year when swimming pools are at their peak draw, knowing how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation could literally make you the life of the party.
22. Get into Krav Maga: Tae kwon do is for kids. These days it's all about Krav Maga, the most effective hand-to-hand combat system. A summer is plenty of time to learn the basics.
23. Start a fire without matches: Remember Tom Hanks' face when he "made fire" in Cast Away? So will your face look when you make a fire without matches.

Communication

24. Master Morse code: Again, Tom Hanks and Cast Away. How cool was it when he used Morse code on a flashlight? You really never know when this skill will come in handy.
25. Learn basic sign language: Gain an understanding of what deaf people have to go through to communicate by memorizing 100 signs for basic words like pizza, happy, and dog.
26. Learn Latin: A guy named Evan Millner has a series of videos for teaching Latin to beginners. A knowledge of the language is a huge help in improving your English grammar, and you'll feel really superior spouting Latin phrases no one else understands.
27. Master public speaking: For most people, public speaking is not a fun exercise. But there are thousands of books and websites out there to help you get better at it and maybe even come to enjoy it.
28. Sharpen your flirting skills: Retire your tired pickup lines and let your newly self-improved personality be your ticket to sparking a relationship.
29. Memorize a poem: Find a relatively short poem that moves you and commit it to memory for wooing a lady or enlivening a cocktail party. Better yet, write a poem yourself.
30. Start a journal: Journaling is a tried and true self-improvement technique that really makes for fun reading a year or two after the fact.
31. Improve your vocabulary: Navigate to a word-a-day website or grab a word-of-the-day calendar and transform your vocabulary into a sesquipedalian cache.
32. Build a Twitter following: Reply, retweet, and hashtag your way to a solid group of Twitter followers who challenge you, make you laugh, or laugh at your stuff.
33. Learn stand-up comedy: Apparently you can learn stand-up in 10 weeks. You don't have to quit your day job, but it should make it easier to create some laughs at a party.

Home and Garden

34. Start a garden: Despite what you might think, it's still not too late to start that garden you meant to start back in April. All you need to do is pick out crops or flowers that do best in the summer months and get to cultivating.
35. Go green: Improve the earth while you're at it by going green this summer. Make a compost pile, do an energy audit of your home, fix leaky faucets, and more.
36. Get better at sex: Hey, we did say these suggestions were supposed to be fun. If you have a partner, he or she should be quite pleased to hear that your goal this summer is to improve your performance in the bedroom.
37. Build a backyard barbecue pit: Get serious about your summer barbecuing and build a pit right in your own backyard. Fair warning: your house will become everyone's favorite Saturday hangout spot.
38. Build a rocking chair: Sitting in a rocking chair is a surefire way to improve your mood and lower your stress levels. Why not add to that the satisfaction of knowing that you built the chair yourself.

Technological

39. Build a computer: It sounds impossible, and it may look impossible when you open one up. But putting together your own computer is a skill that can be learned like any other, and you'll come away with a much better knowledge of the technology.
40. Become certified in Google Analytics: As search engines continue their global takeover, a smart business move is to make a project out of becoming certified in the best Internet analytics tool available.
41. Create a website: With the proliferation of excellent software, building your own website has never been easier. Make it a blog to record your thoughts to share with others or an online presence for a business enterprise.
42. Root your phone: Rooting, "jailbreaking," or hacking your phone is a gateway to self-improvement: with your new ability to customize your smartphone to your liking, you'll be amazed at how much more efficient your life becomes.

Miscellaneous

43. Become a tailor: Being able to make adjustments to your own clothes is an invaluable skill if you enjoy wearing well-fitting clothes. It's a must-have skill for any sartorialist.
44. Learn necktie tying: Wow your co-workers when you stroll in with an immaculate four-in-hand knot. While you're perfecting your style, master the art of pocket square folding, too.
45. Learn to count cards: Have an upcoming trip to Vegas? Don't blame us if a casino owner breaks your kneecaps, but card-counting is a valuable skill that can be picked up with a little practice.
46. Investigate your family tree: Everyone ought to know where she comes from. Make this the summer you discover what illustrious men and women your ancestors were.
47. Learn to drive stick shift: Get a friend to let you use his car as your practice vehicle, and you'll never again have to admit to anyone that you can't drive a stick.
48. Revisit your history lessons: History is many people's favorite subject. This summer, make it your mission to relearn what you thought you knew, from Columbus to the real Paul Revere. Start with Howard Zinn's seminal A People's History of the United States.
49. Practice etiquette: In the summer when everyone is getting married, you'll be happy you brushed up on which fork to use first at the reception, the little one or the big one.
50. Volunteer: Helping others is a great way to improve your own sense of purpose. Make a project out of finding a place that needs volunteers and committing to return several times over the summer.

Source:  (http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/07/08/50-fun-self-improvement-projects-to-assign-yourself-this-summer/) 

How To Get Your Teens to Talk to You

During your children’s teenage years you’ll likely encounter a period of time when it seems like you have nothing in common with each other and carrying on conversations is akin to climbing Mt. Everest. This is heavily influenced by the fact that teenagers and the adults who care for them are very different creatures and are at very different points in their lives.  Understanding those differences will help open the lines of communication between you and the teen in your life.

Check out these ideas for ways to get teens talking:

1. Create a topic jar.  A topic jar is a jar that you fill with different pieces of paper containing conversation topics.  Each night at dinner a different person gets to choose a slip of paper from the jar and read it aloud.  The reader gets to start the conversation.  For example, the slip of paper could say, “Tell about something that surprised you today”. 
2. Ask open-ended questions.  By asking questions that cannot be answered with only a yes or no, you are opening the door for your teenager to say more than a couple of words in reply to you.  Try to avoid grilling her and stay away from asking questions like, “How was your day?”  Her answer will most likely be a one word answer to these type of questions.  Instead, say something like, “Tell me about your day.”
3. Talk about topics she likes.  Often teens feel like they are misunderstood by their parents.  Instead of trying to get her involved in whatever you want to talk about, try talking about something that you know she likes.  If she is an avid soccer player then ask her if she heard about the latest soccer match between Spain and Italy.  She will probably be stunned that you even know that Spain and Italy recently had a soccer match and might actually want to talk about it.  Once the door is open she may continue to talk about other things that are on her mind.
4. Schedule some one on one time with her.  Take her out to her favorite restaurant with just the two of you.  If that is too expensive, just go for dessert and linger over coffee.  Do something that she enjoys, like going to a local soccer match.  Sharing these moments with her will give her the opportunity to talk to you while you are both relaxed and alone.
5. Listen more than you speak.  Every minute of your time together with her doesn’t have to be filled with idle chit chat.  If you are trying to get someone to talk, leaving some silence will give them the opportunity to fill that silence with conversation. 
6. Be patient with your teen.  If she is going through a rough time with her boyfriend or her other friends at school it may be difficult for her to talk about.  Give her opportunities to broach the subject with you, but don’t try to force her to talk to you.  That will only result in her becoming more stubborn and closed off.
7. Put yourself in her shoes.  Teenagers think that their parents and caregivers don’t understand them.  Try to resist saying things like, “I understand what you are going through because I was a teenager once too you know”.  Every generation has their own obstacles to overcome, and you can’t know what she is going through until she tells you.  Really try to imagine how you would feel if you were in her shoes going through what she is going through.    
8. Don’t try to fix her.  Parents and caregivers often try to fix a situation before they even understand it.  Everyone is busy, but make time to hear her out.  Don’t jump in and offer advice until it’s asked for.  The only thing you should be doing while she is talking is nodding and saying the occasional, “hmm” or “I see” to indicate you are actively listening. This part is very difficult, but she needs to feel heard.  Imagine how it would feel if you were sharing one of your problems and the person kept interrupting you to offer advice.  Would you enjoy that? 
9. Try to be her soft place to fall, not a road block.  Teenagers are faced with a lot of peer pressure.  Amazingly enough, teens will come to the right decision most of the time if given the chance.  Comfort her if she’s had a fight with a friend or if she breaks up with her boyfriend, but don’t condemn the boyfriend or friend.  Anything negative that you say now will come back to haunt you when she gets back together with her boyfriend or the next time that her friend comes over to spend the night.
10. Only offer your opinion when she asks for it.  If you are lucky enough to get your teen talking, don’t interrupt with your opinions.  Telling her what you would do isn’t going to help because she will remind you that you and she are nothing alike.  Teens are trying to break away and prove their individuality.  If she asks for your advice, start by asking her what she has considered so far.  This will give you an idea of where her head is and you can act accordingly.  Avoid lectures at all costs.

Source: (http://www.babysitting.net/blog/10-ways-to-get-your-teens-to-talk-to-you/)

Did you know, that almost 60% of drivers use their phones on the road?

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10 of the Most Powerful Professors in the World

Given their status as Charons across the higher education Styx, it makes perfect sense that professors and other academic types can rise up and enjoy considerable influence over more than just their students. Whether they exert their positions as activists, authors, media commentators, or something else entirely, some even move on to enjoy extremely powerful, prominent roles that completely shape the world around them. They may not always be the wealthiest — or even the most beloved — but they nevertheless leave quite the impact all the same.

1. ELIZABETH BLACKBURN:

   
   The 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine and Physiology currently utilizes the clout such a prestigious honor offers as a means of promoting science education in her native Australia. Elizabeth Blackburn serves as a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, but splits her time between hemispheres encouraging youth — especially females — to pursue the sciences as a viable career path. While she might not necessarily enjoy household name status the way some of the other names listed here do, her efforts will likely resonate quietly for generations and hopefully inspire another few rounds of groundbreaking Nobel laureates.

2. STEPHEN HAWKING:

   
   Cambridge mathematics professor Stephen Hawking likely requires very little explanation, as not only has he managed to revolutionize theoretical physics for professionals, but rendered the notoriously dense field accessible to general audiences without Ph.D.s through books and television specials. A Brief History of Time remains a popular science favorite, having shattered records upon its 1988 release by staying on the bestseller list for more than four years. Despite occasional health issues these days, the heavily decorated 70-year-old continues traveling around the world for lectures, conferences, and other events advancing the noble cause of science.

3. ADI SHAMIR:

   
   As one of the world’s foremost cryptographers and computer scientists, this ACM Turing Award-winning Weizmann Institute professor has developed numerous strategies for coding and keeping safe sensitive information. Among Adi Shamir’s contributions to the fields include the RSA algorithm, the Feige-Fiat-Shamir identification scheme, and (almost) the entire discipline of differential cryptanalysis. Organizations such as the National Security Agency have utilized his creations to lock down data that could portend doom if it winds up in sinister hands. That’s powerful right there.

4. HAROLD BLOOM:

   
   He’s either every English major’s best friend forever or mind-scarring nightmare hound. But without the hundreds of compilations and more than 20 scholarly works of literary criticism, humanity’s understanding of how to closely read and process the written word would not have progressed as quickly. Obviously, one must not consider Harold Bloom the be-all, end-all authority of literature, though the Yale professor’s influence continues permeating the academic and creative worlds alike. For one thing, much of the “Western” canon pushed in classrooms today hails from his recommendations and interpretations; it’s such an everyday contribution few realize the grandiose implications.

5. CORNEL WEST:

   
   Princeton professor and political and philosophical superstar Cornel West is often touted as one of America’s most provocative progressive voices. Through his radio program and groundbreaking, bestselling sociological and political works Race Matters and Democracy Matters, he has sought to challenge the citizenry’s perceptions and mores precluding equality and freedom. It certainly cloaks West in controversy, but he considers the death threats and Occupy-related arrests necessary obstacles to a world no longer divided by race, class, gender and gender orientation, or sexual orientation. His prominence and position inspire swaths of Americans eager for real change they can believe in rather than empty promises by empty suits in two largely empty parties.

6. JEFFREY SACHS:

   
   With both the economy and eco-friendly initiatives standing as prominent topics of debate and inquiry these days, it makes sense that Time would twice name someone with considerable power over both among its 100 Most Influential People. Oh, and The Economist considers Jeffrey Sachs among the three biggest economists alive today, which is what most people would probably consider an accomplishment. He serves as a senior advisor to the UN, writes a column syndicated in more than 80 different publications, and directs a little organization known as The Earth Institute at Columbia University. All of which grant him an elevated platform through which he synthesizes both disciplines and discusses sustainability strategies and theories for a greener world that won’t bankrupt nations.

7. HANS ROSLING:

   
   Thanks to the Trendalyzer statistics tool developed in part by the Karolinska Institute’s Hans Rosling, public data gets compiled and shared much faster, much easier than before. For the public health sector — another field in which the professor and medical doctor excels — this means visualizing a broader understanding of outbreaks and other serious issues in the developing world. UNICEF and the World Health Organization both take advantage of Rosling’s extensive training and acumen to serve peoples in ravaged parts of South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

8. RICHARD DAWKINS:

   
   Catholics have the Pope. Atheists have Richard Dawkins. While he doesn’t speak for all nonbelievers any more than the pontiff speaks for all Catholics (it’s true!), the Oxford professor and his book The God Delusion have certainly made headway in de-stigmatizing agnosticism and atheism. But his power and influence stem from far, far beyond the religious sector most recognized by the mainstream. For one thing, Dawkins also happens to be one of the foremost living evolutionary biologists, with reads such as The Selfish Gene and The Extended Phenotypeoffering up solid discussions about how life got itself started and kept itself perpetuated throughout millennia.

9. DAVID CHERITON:

   
   Even if he spends the rest of his life kicking back by the pool with monkey butlers slinging mojitos, this billionaire computer science professor at Stanford has pretty much already left his major mark on the world. His habit of establishing and funding tech startups (some of which have been snapped up by Cisco and Sun Microsystems) eventually led him to hand a check over to his students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 so they could set up a modest little search engine called Google. Notoriously thrifty and unassuming, David Cheriton prefers distributing his money to colleges and universities to prop up their computer science and general science departments.

10. NOAM CHOMSKY:

    
    Although a linguist and cognitive scientist by trade, MIT’s Noam Chomsky earns more mainstream attention — not to mention garners more followers — as a political philosopher, activist, and social commentator. One of the most heavily decorated and respected academics currently alive today, he’s a mainstay on news outlets big and small discussing the current climate from a socialistic libertarian perspective. While Chomsky’s contributions to furthering academic and philosophical discussions could fill several more articles, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media probably stands as his most popular and influential. It brought the rhetorical strategies used in political propaganda to the forefront of relevant discourse once again.

Source: http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2012/07/05/10-of-the-most-powerful-professors-in-the-world/