December 2017

Tips For Preventing Package Theft

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Tips For Preventing Package Theft

As Christmas approaches, more and more people turn to online shopping to buy gifts for their friends and family members. This leads to an increase in packages being delivered to their houses, which can be problematic. Thieves love it when they see a package sitting unattended on a porch. They may not know what they are stealing, but they know they can easily take it.

No one wants to have their package stolen, especially when it is a gift for someone else. That is why it is important that everyone takes extra precautions when buying things online.

You do not want to give thieves an opportunity to steal your package.

Luckily, most delivery services and online retailers provide their clients with options to help prevent package theft.

  • Always get a tracking number for the package. This will allow you to know when the package will be delivered, and make sure that someone is there to collect it for you.

  • FedEx and USPS allow customers to schedule deliveries for a set time, thus ensuring someone will be home to get the package.

  • If possible, leave delivery instructions. FedEx allows clients to leave instructions on where the box should be left, such as at the back door instead of the front door.

  • Request that a signature be needed for the delivery. This way, if no one is home, the package will not be left at the door unattended.

  • Try having the package delivered somewhere other than your home. FedEx and UPS will allow you to have a package delivered to a neighbor or your work.

  • Opt for in store pickup. Many retailers allow for items to be ordered online and picked up in a store with no extra charge.

When ordering something online, look at the delivery options. Many retailers provide their clients with different options to make the delivery as convenient and safe as possible. By choosing a more secure delivery option, the person is ensuring that they, not a thief, get their package.

Staying Safe On Winter Roads

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Staying Safe On Winter Roads

As a kid, winter is a lot of fun. Winter brings storms, which in turn bring snow which can lead to extra days off from school, and all the while, the thought of Christmas is hanging in the air. While this is all great as a kid, as an adult things prove to be a little more difficult, especially when it comes to snow.

Driving can already be a bit of a hassle, thanks to the increase in traffic, but the bad weather can make things worse. Driving in the rain or snow can be dangerous if a person is not prepared, or lacks any experience with the matter. To help take care of that, here are some winter driving tips.

  • Slow down on wet roads. Water on the roads can reduce friction, which will make it easy for cars to slide across the road without any control when at high speeds. Slowing down just a little bit can reduce the chances of this happening to you. If the vehicle you are driving starts to hydroplane, do not slam on the brakes as doing so will take away what little control you have. Instead, take your foot of the gas pedal and let the vehicle slow down naturally. Once it slows down, the tires will regain traction and you will have control of the vehicle again.

  • Slow everything down on frozen roads. Snow and ice reduce the grip of your tires on roads far more than water. To compensate for this, a person needs to not only drive slower, but accelerate and brake at a slower pace as well. Accelerating too quickly can cause a car to spin out, while braking too suddenly will cause the car to slide.

  • Always use headlights. Headlights not only allow you to see better while driving, they also allow other drivers to see you better. This can help prevent other cars from hitting you when visibility is low.

  • The best advice for driving in bad weather, is to avoid driving in bad weather. When the weather is bad, a person should only head out on the road if they absolutely have to. If they can avoid going out, they should.

Follow these tips and you will be able to stay safe on the roads this winter season.

Getting Arrested In A Foreign Country

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Getting Arrested In A Foreign Country

No one ever wants to get arrested. Doing so means being placed into a small concrete cell with iron bars, possibly with other inmates. A person loses their freedom when arrested, and it is not fun at all. However, something most people do not consider, is what happens if they are arrested outside of the United States.

Here in the US, the Constitution grants all US citizens certain rights. These rights may not be granted in other countries.

    Some of these rights include:

  • Innocent until proven guilty

  • Having a speedy trial

  • Having a trial with a jury of your peers

  • Safety from cruel and unusual punishment

Here in the US, we are very lucky to have these rights. Not every country offers these rights to its citizens, let alone visitors from other countries.

When a US citizen is arrested while abroad, they are subject to that country’s laws. They will face whatever kind of trial that country offers. They will need to serve their sentence in one of that country’s jails as well.

A US citizen abroad cannot rely on the US Constitution to protect them.

A US citizen who has been arrested abroad does have the right to request that the local US embassy or consulate be notified of their arrest.

A consular officer will be sent to visit with the arrested person and provide them with some assistance. This right is thanks to the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

This is why it is extremely important for a person to familiarize themselves with the laws of the country they are visiting. Things that may be legal here in the US, may be illegal in some foreign countries. No one wants to get arrested, especially when they are outside the US.

Jaywalking Is A Crime

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Jaywalking Is A Crime

While we do it every day without a second thought, driving can actually be quite dangerous. One small surprise is all it takes to cause an accident with disastrous results. That is why there are so many laws that relate to driving to try to keep drivers and pedestrians safe.

This is the main reason for Tennessee having laws against jaywalking.

Here in Tennessee, Jaywalking is defined as a pedestrian crossing a street or roadway in a reckless manner without using a crosswalk or crossing signal.

Crossing a street in undesignated areas is an easy way to cause an accident. Crosswalks are typically located at intersections so that the flow of traffic can be altered to allow for the safe crossing of pedestrians. When a pedestrian jaywalks, he or she is often doing so in an area where cars are moving at high rates of speed.

In areas where there are no crosswalks, drivers are not expecting to encounter pedestrians. Chances are, they will not have enough time to react when they see a jaywalker. This could lead to the pedestrian being struck, and either injured or killed. This is why it is safer to cross at designated crosswalks, and only the signal allows it. No one wants to step in front of moving traffic.

Contrary to popular belief, there are consequences for getting caught jaywalking.

Tennessee laws states that jaywalking is an infraction and accused individuals could face a fine up to $191. On top of this, local authorities are allowed add harsher fines and consequences if they desire.

Ultimately, the costs of jaywalking are far too high. A person runs the risk of getting in trouble with local authorities, or causing an accident.

Cyberbullying Is A Crime In Tennessee

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Cyberbullying Is A Crime In Tennessee

In Tennessee, cyberbullying is a crime that is defined by a victim being specifically targeted, harassed, annoyed, or intimidated through electronic communications such as text messages or through social media. Cyberbullying is taken seriously, whether it was a joke or not, because the situation can end with serious consequences.

Two common types of cyberbullying. One is when the bully wants to threaten their victim and cause them to fear for their safety or the safety of their loved ones. The other is when the bully teases their victim with the intent to embarrass them and bring them shame. These are misdemeanor crimes in Tennessee and can be punished with up to 1 year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000.

Cyberbullying is particularly evident among students and schools are supposed to take the matters seriously. In fact, all schools have anti-bullying policies in place, as well as procedures to prevent and address this type of misconduct.

In the most unfortunate and saddening incidences, the bullied victim takes their own life or they attack their abusers, and/or other innocent individuals by bringing a weapon to school.

Social media sites are common places for cyberbullying to take place due to how popular they are. These kinds of sites can reach many people. Just like schools have anti-bullying policies in place, social media networks also have certain anti-bullying policies as well. In addition, they monitor the content that is posted online so they can catch inappropriate content, such as threats, and report it.

Winterizing Your Home

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Winterizing Your Home

Winter is around the corner, and this is the best time to start preparing your house for the cold. After all, many places in Tennessee are already starting to feel the effects of winter. You do not want to wait until it is too cold to do anything or until something breaks due to the cold. You need to prepare, and now is the time to do it.

Here are a few things you should do around the house before things get too cold:

  • Insulate pipes. Whether the pipe in your yard or under you house, you should make sure that it is properly insulated. Water expands when it freezes. If it freezes in a pipe, it can break the pipe and cause a damaging leak.

  • Fill any gaps in your exterior walls. Gaps in the outside walls of your house let cold air in, and they can also serve as an entrance to any unwelcome creatures seeking shelter from the cold. You can get some expansion foam to fill these gaps. Just spray a little in and watch it expand to fill the hole.

  • Check the weather stripping around sliding doors. These can wear down over time, which will allow cold air inside. This can be easily prevented by purchasing replacement weather stripping. Most replacement strips have adhesive tape on the back, so all the homeowner has to do is pull off the old weather stripping and stick on the new one.

  • Switch your ceiling fan directions. Most people do not realize that their ceiling fans have a winter setting. This simply reverses the direction the fan spins so that it will push the warm air that rose to the ceiling down along the walls.

  • Check your smoke detectors. This one doesn’t necessarily go with winterizing, but it is important nonetheless. Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are still working properly.

These are just a few tips to help keep your home safe and warm this winter season.

What To Do In An Active Shooter Situation

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What To Do In An Active Shooter Situation

We have all seen the horrible stories on the news where some lunatic with a gun decides to attack dozens of innocent people. Sadly, this happens far too often. It is in the back of many people’s minds when they go out to special events. Due to this fact, it is important for everyone to know what to do in the event that an active shooter targets an event.

A person should always be aware of the exits in a room or building. You want to have a plan on how to escape if something does actually happen. You do not want to get stuck trying to find an exit, or worse, get stuck at an exit.

Another thing to consider, is that rules stop applying during an active shooter event. A person does not have to leave a building the same way they entered. If you are in a mall or an arena when an active shooter event occurs, there are other ways out than the ones you used to get in.

In a mall, it is recommended that you run into the nearest store and locate the door in the back marked employees only or something similar. Go through that door. There should be another that will lead you to a concrete hallway or loading dock. Follow the hallway and find a way out. Chances are, the shooter will not go through this hallway, since they are looking to do a lot of damage, which takes place at the main section of the mall and at its primary exits.

In a sporting arena, try to find a door that is marked for players or talent only. There is a private exit for talent and staff to use to avoid the crowds of fans. Normally this exit is only for authorized people, but in an active shooter situation, that authorization no longer matters.

During these kinds of situation, the shooter is looking to harm as many people as possible. This is easy to do when everyone rushes for the exits at once. This creates a bottleneck and gives the shooter a lot of targets. It is best to avoid those kinds of situations if possible. Looking for another way out could save a person’s life.

8 Commonly Misused Words

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8 Commonly Misused Words

The English language has thousands and thousands of words within it. This is why it can take native English speakers years to even come close to mastering it. Due to this fact, there are several words within this language of ours that are misused on a daily basis. Some words have been misused for so long, that the wrong meaning has now become their actual meaning.

  1. Bemused: Many people think that a bemused person is someone who is amused, when in fact, it means that the person is confused.

  2. Compelled: When a person is compelled to do something, many would assume the person simply feels like they should do that thing. However, it really means that the person is being forced to do something.

  3. Enormity: Some people, including past presidents, think that enormity means something really big, but it does not. It really means a great or extreme evil.

  4. Ironic: This is one that many people mess up. They think that something is ironic when it is a funny coincidence, but when something is truly ironic, it is something that was the opposite of what the person expected.

  5. Literally: This word gets misused all of the time. Often times, when it is used, people are better off using figuratively. When something literally happens, it means that something actually happened as it was stated.

  6. Nauseous: This means to cause nausea, so when a person says they feel nauseous, they are actually saying that they fell like they cause other people to be sick. What they mean to say is that they feel nauseated.

  7. Peruse: Many people think that this means to skim over something, but it actually means to thoroughly look through and review.

  8. Redundant: If something is redundant, many people think that this means the thing is repetitive, which is wrong. If something is redundant, it is something that is unnecessary and can be removed.

For some of these words, it can be easy to see how the wrong use came about. Take redundant, for instance, some things that are repetitive could also be considered redundant. Luckily, for everyone’s egos, most people are not alone in making these kinds of mistakes with the English language.

Nobody Likes Sexual Harassment

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Nobody Likes Sexual Harassment

Sadly everyone has experienced some form of harassment at some point in their lives. There are several forms of harassment out there, and none of them are very pleasant. One of the worst kinds of harassment, is sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment is bullying of a sexual nature or inappropriate sexual advances with the promise of rewards in the workplace. Sexual harassment is not just bad because it is harassment, it is also illegal. It is illegal to harass any person based on their sex.

When it comes to harassment at work, employers are supposed to provide safe working environment for their employees. This does not simply mean a physically safe environment. A safe work environment also means protecting employees from all types of harassment, especially sexual harassment.

Nobody wants to face any sort of harassment, especially in a place where they have to be, such as work. Sexual harassment can so many different things, from being mocked for the person’s gender or a person not getting a promotion due to their lack of desire to sleep with the employer.

If a person ever feels like they are feeling sexually harassed, they need to talk to their boss or someone in human resources. Employers are legally obligated to create safe work environment for their employees. Failing to do so can get them into serious legal trouble.

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