Alerts CC, Author at Alerts CC

Research Shows Proper Fire Prevention Saves Money Over Time

According to a new study from the U.S. Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, treating forests with high risk of fires could possibly prevent the increasing amount of “megafires,” which would provide benefits worth up to three times the strategies’ cost.

The new study found that megafires could be prevented with proactive forest management techniques, which includes controlled burning and vegetation thinning. Such tactics are logical ways to eliminate the risk of fire. In fact, the National Fire Protection Agency offers similar advice to homeowners, telling them to clean their kitchens’ hood exhaust system. The idea here is that if highly flammable kindling were removed from a high risk area, the threat of a fire–mega or home sized–is greatly reduced.

The study lends supports to a plan, which is set to go before Congress soon, that’d conserve funding intended for critical fire prevention and restoration programs, which have historically been short-changed. As several sources predict that this summer will be blisteringly hot, the size and amount of wildfires are expected to rise, which means such disaster prevention funding more important than ever.

“Recent megafires in California and the West have destroyed lives and property, degraded water quality, damaged wildlife habitat, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Sierra Nevada Project Director David Edelson. “This study shows that, by investing now in Sierra forests, we can reduce risks, safeguard water quality, and recoup up to three times our initial investment while increasing the health and resilience of our forests.”

As if the situation needed to be any more urgent, statistical data proves that the number of massive wildfires is creeping upwards. According to Geophysical Research Letters, large wildfires have steady increased by seven incidents per year between 1984 and 2011, with the total, damaged acreage rising by nearly 90,000.

The government is stuck between a rock and a hard place. According to Randy Moore, a regional forester, agencies need to treat 500,000 acres minimum each year in the Pacific Southwest Region, which is four times the amount treated in 2013. Naturally, this would be a heavy expense. However, failing to take such action could be even more costly–the cost of fighting wildfires is even more exorbitant, and also extremely dangerous because of rough terrain and unpredictable winds.

It’s like the old business adage says, you have to spend money to make money. If the government hopes to cut the cost of these megafires, they need to invest in preventive methods now.

HGTV Axes Home-Flipping Show After Anti-Gay Comments Surface From Its Star

David and Jason Benham are twin brothers and purported followers of Christ. They’ve run a successful real estate business for the past decade and were all set to captain their own show on HGTV that featured them helping families land houses they could otherwise not afford. But earlier this week, HGTV dropped their show, “Flip It Forward,” without much in the way of an explanation

So, what happened?

You could blame the lobbying group Right Wing Watch, which published a post on its website characterizing David as an “anti-gay, anti-choice extremist” because of comments he had made in the past, including those at a prayer rally held outside of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in North Carolina. Additionally, Right Wing Watch made public a recording of David speaking to talk-show host about “homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation,” as CNN reports.

HGTV, potentially ruffled by the accusations, issued a tweet on May 7 stating their decision not to move forward with the Benhams’ show. David and Jason’s response? “If our faith costs us a television show,” they wrote in a statement released earlier this week, “then so be it.”

The twins also appeared on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” to emphasize their commitment to the Christian faith, which includes being raised by their father, the Rev. Philip “Flip” Benham, who heads Operation Save America, a North Carolina-based anti-abortion group. As David said, “We love all people. I love homosexuals. I love Islam, Muslims, and my brother and I would never discriminate. Never have we — never would we.”

The proposed program, “Flip It Forward,” would have seen the Benhams assist families in turning fixer-uppers — literally “flipping” them — into beautiful dream homes. The real estate market is notably cyclical, with winter always bringing down total sales numbers. The show was slated to ride the natural wave of good-weather sales into the spring and summer.

Philip Benham, the twins’ father, was sentenced to 18 months of probation in 2011 after being convicted of stalking an abortion doctor, the AP reports. A petition to reinstate the show called #FlipThisDecision has since sprung up from the Faith Driven Consumer organization, which also began a campaign in favor of “Duck Dynasty”‘s Phil Robertson.

Number of U.S. Businesses Without Paid Employees Climbs for Third Straight Year

It may seem counter-intuitive to think that a business can run without employees, but when considering the number of self-employed Americans, the latter makes more sense. A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the prevalence of these non-employer businesses reached 22.7 million in 2012, an increase of more than 1% from 2011. The Census Bureau Report details that this trend has been steadily gaining speed in the last three years.

The report includes a wide variety of industries including construction, manufacturing, and education, with the highest number of non-employer businesses based in technical services. Other popular sole proprietary business areas include health care, and real estate, leasing and rental companies. More than 400 industries in the report showed growth in this sector, and Florida, California, and New York added the most non-employer businesses of all states in the U.S. The increase in these businesses also generated $1 trillion in total revenue for 2012, which accounts for more than a $40 billion boost from the previous year.

Several cities have mirrored this report, listing their growth in the non-employer sector. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, these firms grew by more than 400, raising the city’s revenue .02%. Albuquerque also matched the national trend, with more technical service businesses, and real estate rental and leasing companies established during 2012 than 2011. Cayuga County in New York also saw a .95% increase in these businesses, close to the national 1.1% expansion. The county also experienced its highest revenue from non-employer businesses at $158.83 million in 2012.

But even with the significant rise in revenue in counties and cities across America, non-employer businesses are not the highest grossing sector. The Census Report explains that the majority of businesses in the U.S. are sole proprietorships, but they produce less than 4% of the total sales and business receipts in the nation. Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau typically excludes non-employer business statistics from its regular business report because of their low impact on the nation’s economy.

One of the reasons for this could be the fact that there are a large number of mom-and-pop restaurants and stores that do not contribute a significant amount of profits to the nation’s revenue. In addition, these smaller businesses do not always seek accreditation from national and international agencies, which may render them invisible to a larger public audience. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has several certifications that it offers to all businesses in order to gain international certification for following best practices.

These certifications range from quality management to food safety management to social responsibility. With an ISO certification, businesses can raise their level of quality and visibility, and promote their certifications as a sign of high quality products and services. Accreditation from the ISO is becoming increasingly important as more businesses are making compliance with these standards a prerequisite for conducting business transactions with both domestic and international corporations.

Having an ISO certification could help garner more profits for non-employer companies that do not already have a sizable customer base. It may not spark enough revenue to overshadow employee-based company success, but it will help to raise the nation’s overall profits, and foster a more global market.

Washington DC Tour Guides Take License Fight to Court of Appeals, Citing First Amendment Violations

The Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering a First Amendment case brought before it by a group of city tour guides today. Bill Main and Tonia Edwards, owners of Segs in the City, a D.C.-based tour service that specializes in historical and cultural tours of the capital region, say that D.C. city regulations requiring all tour guides be licensed in order to work legally run directly against the ideals of freedom of speech put forth in the First Amendment. “We are being told that we have to have a license to speak,” Main commented in an interview with local news service WTOP.

The case was first brought before the U.S. District Court in 2010. However, after that body upheld D.C.’s licensing regulations, Main and Edwards, along with attorney Robert McNamara, pushed the fight before the Court of Appeals. In addition to arguing the legislation is unconstitutional, they’ll also point out the inconsistency in licensing, given that city bus drivers, who the group argues are tour guides, require no such licensing.

Not the First Time Licensing Has Been Allowed to Stand in the Way of American Civil Liberties

This certainly isn’t the first time a cry of unconstitutionality has been brought before the American legal system. Increasingly staunch regulations over when and how Americans can protest, yet another right guaranteed by the First Amendment, has raised questions over abridgment in recent years. More specifically, fees and the need to seek permits before highly controversial events, from the G8 summit to presidential debates, is seen by law professionals and ordinary American citizens as a similar barrier to their being able to fully exercise their First Amendment rights. Unfortunately, these fees and licenses have been held up as perfectly constitutional when brought before the courts.

Could Arguing Under Employment Protections of Free Speech Be the Way to Go?

Given that challenges to licensing have been struck down so unceremoniously before, it admittedly does not look good for Washington D.C.’s tour guide community. However, there is another tactic they could try. In 1968, the Supreme Court ruled that public employees speaking in the interest of public good were exercising a protected action guaranteed to them by the First Amendment. In this, neither employers nor government could punish or otherwise limit speech. While Segs in the City is a private organization, taking the angle of offering a service invaluable to the public good could help sway the courts in their favor. Whether or not this tactic and others employed in the suit will amount to anything will be made clear as the case is decided this summer.

Human Ken Doll Appears in England, Raising Questions About Cosmetic Surgery Among Men

The human Barbie doll can stop searching — it appears she’s found her perfect match.

As the New York Daily News reports, a British flight attendant named Rodrigo Alves has spent over 100,000 pounds (about $168,850) on cosmetic surgery procedures to become the human Ken doll: in other words, Barbie’s plastic mate. Alves has now undergone 20 different procedures, including a nose job, Botox injections, pectoral implants, abdominal implants, calf shaping and other various liposuction jobs, to become the living embodiment of the popular child’s play toy.

As he told the Daily News, “Of course I’d like to look like him. He’s perfect!” Alves then called the Ken doll the “ideal man.” He would know.

What’s shocking is that in his pursuit of becoming as ideal as the molded plastic figure that’s sold worldwide as the Ken doll, Alves almost lost his life. Earlier this year, a cosmetic surgeon injected Alves’ arms with a special gel, which caused him to acquire a bacterial infection. The illness left him in a Brazilian hospital for thee weeks, and doctors began talking about the possibility of amputation. Miraculously, he recovered.

Since then, Alves has seen an English therapist who’s informed him he likely has what’s called body dysmorphia, a psychological disorder that makes the person feel as if his own appearance isn’t good enough and leads to a general feeling of physical imperfection of the self. Alves hopes to work through his problems because his numerous surgeries and procedures are painful, he admits.

Though it tends to be much more common among females, plastic surgery procedures are also undergone by men all across the world. According to Business Insider, the top surgical choice among men is nose reshaping, with eyelid surgery and liposuction coming in at the number-two and number-three spots, respectively.

Another popular choice among men is the process of gynecomastia, also called the male mastectomy surgery, which corrects enlarged breast tissue. It’s a genetic condition that affects older men as well as pubescent adolescents and even newborns. Of course, a good cosmetic surgeon will only recommend what is necessary to be performed, not the procedures that border on excessive or those that are in any way unhealthy or hazardous to the body.

As always, no cosmetic procedures should be performed at all unless they’re performed by board-certified surgeons. For more information, it’s always best to go right to the source — your doctor.

Studies Indicate Adults Not the Only Victims of Back Pain

Too many adults find themselves victims of the notorious “desk hunch,” a poor sitting posture taken all day at work that causes a milieu of musculoskeletal problems, but few ever consider the back pains that children may have. A recent study found that as many as 50% of kids complain that their packs are putting undue stress on their backs, causing them significant aches and pains.

While adults can easily change their habits or buy items such as back pillows to lessen the static posture and ease back pains, these poor kids are unable to do anything about their own circumstances.

More than 79 million U.S. students nowadays have to use backpacks, which are filled with textbooks that are heavier than ever before. Since these books can weigh up to seven pounds apiece, children have to take home 14 or 21 pounds of material. It doesn’t sound like too much, but when you consider that a grade schooler only weighs about 60 pounds, you realize that their backpacks weigh 23% of their body weight. For an adult who weighs 170 pounds, it’s the equivalent of carrying almost 40 pounds to and from work.

These overladen packs can be detrimental to kids, causing them to develop musculoskeletal issues at an early age. One particularly study measure the response of healthy children’s lumbar portion of the spine in response to school pack loads. The study naturally found that the heavier the backpack, the more significantly compressed their lumbar discs, which are their bodies’ “shock absorbers,” were. The study also found that the heavier the pack, the more asymmetrical the lumbar was.

Thankfully, parents can help their children buy buying the right kind of pack. It’s crucial that the backpack be a proper backpack, and not a messenger back. This ensures that the weight is distributed evenly on the body. Secondly, the pack itself needs to be lightweight, with padding in the back and wide straps. The lack of padding can make the load worse to carry, and narrow straps can dig into the shoulders.

Wheeled bags may seem like a convenient option, but they’re not nearly as practical and mobility becomes a serious issue. If you’re concerned about your child’s load, make sure that they have the right backpack, or else their problems may worsen over time.

Are Braces Covered Under the ACA?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been a boon for children’s teeth. Early estimates put the number of newly-insured young smiles at somewhere around 1.7 million.

But is there any hope for coverage for adult smiles?

While pediatric dentistry was included under the “Essential Health Benefits” section of the ACA, adult dental insurance is not required, notably with regards to orthodontia. This could be due, in part, to the lingering stigma of orthodontic correction as a “cosmetic” procedure.

Common sense tells us this is a silly distinction: straight teeth don’t wear down unevenly, they help us eat a much wider variety of foods, they’re easier to keep clean (thus helping to avoid decay and gum disease), and they provide us the emotional confidence to show our smile.

While the ACA does include provisions for “medically necessary” orthodontic correction (due to injury, extreme illness, etc.), it does not yet include orthodontia across the board, not even for children.

This lack of inclusion comes at an inopportune time for adult patients who want to take advantage of the newer orthodontic technologies. This includes adults who have been living with uneven smiles and maloccluded bite patterns for most of their lives, who were hesitant to get the traditional (read: highly visible) metal braces.

The lack of required coverage leaves many adults paying for their braces out of pocket. Luckily, the very technology that makes getting braces more appealing is also making them more affordable and easier to endure.

For example, traditional braces require adjustment every four-to-six weeks. Invisalign trays are instead swapped out every two weeks, dramatically shortening the overall time a patient is being corrected.

More general dentists are also being trained in the use, application, and fitting of corrective trays like Invisalign, making them a “one-stop shop” for their usual patients who may also be interested in orthodontic correction.

Will adult dental coverage (orthodontia in particular) be included in future modifications of the ACA? Only time will tell. But perhaps further technological advances and breakthroughs will render the question moot.

State Department Trolling Social Media for Terrorist Activity

The boom of social media has provided millions of people will real time ways to communicate with one another. With the explosion of smartphones and mobile devices, users are more connected than ever before, and more than 6 billion people worldwide own a mobile device.

The fact that 1.8 billion people use social media globally should be cause for an international celebration of worldwide media success, but in recent years, it is becoming a glaring concern, particularly for Homeland Security and national defense sectors.

Twitter and Facebook are increasingly being utilized by the U.S. State Department to reach out to potential jihadists to dissuade them from joining Islamic extremists. Various extremists have taken to the social media waves to appeal to global citizens, asking them to join in their efforts. These posts often include propaganda photographs and gruesome images of fellow combatants wounded or killed in battle.

The Syrian war has taken center stage of late, with extremists reaching out expatriates and the larger diaspora of Muslims who may be sympathetic to the Syrian cause. A recent study showed that of the 11,000 Western Muslims who have joined rebels in Syria, roughly a quarter of them were recruited by radical Western supporters who used social media to further their plight. These fanatics recently lured a British teenager into the country using Twitter, who silently left the U.K. to join the fight. While he was killed shortly after reaching Syria, other convert extremists have tweeted missing the luxuries of home back in the U.K.

In California, social media patrolling helped to quell fears of an individual terrorist within U.S. borders last month. Nicolas Teausant, a 20-year-old college student, used his Facebook, Tumblr, and Google + accounts to post phrases and pictures that caught the attention of online users and local authorities. He publicized his conversion to Islam, and his continued search for the “The Mujahid’s Handbook,” a guide to becoming a “lone wolf terrorist,” according to the FBI.

Teausant is only one potential terrorist in a long line of online suspects that the FBI has traced. He and hundreds of other radical social media users have been detained and questioned by the FBI, leaving some people questioning the actual threat these boisterous extremist-supporters pose to the nation. Teausant did not have any formal ties to jihadists in Syria, and was caught in an FBI sting operation, trying to cross the border into Canada.

Even with these doubts, the FBI is not taking any chances. Coordinator of the State Department’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, Alberto Fernandez claims that the social media push helps combat the propaganda barrage of terrorist regimes, like Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri has publicly announced that he uses media as a call to arms for Muslims around the world.

While there have been no clear markers as to the success of social media communications in reducing extremist converts, or ending America’s “War on Terror,” Twitter, Facebook, Google +, YouTube, and other social outlets will likely be an important part of tracing potential threats to the nation as jihadists continue sharing their beliefs and feelings using these media channels.

First Geothermal Energy Plant in New Mexico Begins Production of Green Energy

New Mexico’s first geothermal plant is up and running.

The plant taps into a readily available heat source — geothermal energy — to produce up to four megawatts of energy, or enough to power over 4,000 homes. By next year, they hope to increase output to 10,000 megawatts.

How does it work? The more pressure something is under, the hotter it gets. Layers of the Earth’s crust get progressively warmer the deeper you go, and this difference in temperature can be used to heat water, which can then create the steam needed to generate electricity.

This process works not only works well for large-scale production like the New Mexico plant, but can also be successfully applied to individual homes. Even just six feet underground, the temperature differential can provide enough energy to provide hot water for an entire household, eliminating the need for a hot water heater.

How does geothermal compare to other renewable resources? While solar and wind energy have been getting a lot of press, they do have their limitations — namely, cloudy days or days without wind.

But the heat of the Earth never shuts off. Geothermal energy can be utilized 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without interruption. At just six feet below the surface, energy prospectors find an excellent source of heat, which radiates constantly between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

And the water sent through the underground pipes is not wasted. Once the heated water has done its job and dispersed its energy, it can be sent down again for reheating.

Is geothermal energy the reliable, renewable source we’ve been waiting for? At the very least, it may end up being a key component.

But the future of residential green energy may not come from only one source. A combination of solar, wind, and geothermal energy may be the perfect answer to home energy consumption. Government incentives exist for homeowners who “green” up their homes, and some areas actually allow owners who produce more energy than their home uses to sell that energy back to the grid, creating a more direct financial incentive.

Gender Equality and Cosmetic Dentistry

What does gender equality really look like?

By now everyone has seen the stat proclaiming that women make “77 cents on the dollar” compared to men. While the issue may not be as apples-to-apples as that, a gap does exist, and women have been struggling against it for a long time.

Ironically, one of the ways women have been trying to battle against lower earnings is with higher spending. Research by the American Association of Cosmetic Dentistry shows that the majority of cosmetic dentistry patients are women.

But more and more men are jumping on the cosmetic dentistry train.

“It’s competition — 100 percent,” said Dr. Bruce Hartley of the Peninsula Center of Cosmetic Dentistry. “You have five or six guys vying for the same job and one looks handsome, has a nice smile, dresses well and looks sharp — he’s going to have an edge.”

Many experts cite the “tech boom” as a driving factor. In an age where profile pics, YouTube, and ceiling-high keynote presentation screens are becoming the norm, appearance may matter more than ever.

Dr. Hartley elaborates: “I have a lot of the CEO types that say, ‘Hey, I’m up on a big 30-foot-screen or on television now. The last time I saw myself on the business channel, I didn’t like my smile.’ They’re seeing that, and realize a new smile will make a difference.”

Questions of the overall social appropriateness of placing such a high value on appearance are, for the moment, moot. Simply put, our society values attractiveness. We notice and respond favorably to a healthy, white smile.

As our appearances pop up in more and more places, it will be interesting to see whether the cosmetic dentistry gender statistics realign and balance. Because equality advances don’t always make things easier for the struggling side. Sometimes they just spread out the struggle.