Thanks to a certain well-known and widely-loved MGM musical featuring a scarecrow, a tin man, and a cowardly lion, many of us, especially those who dwell on the East or West Coast, have thought of tornadoes as little more catalysts for traveling "over the rainbow" to a colorful world populated by munchkins and flying monkeys. But those who have experienced actual tornados know they are more the stuff of nightmares than the stuff of Technicolor fantasy. And on May 20th of this year, the entire nation saw just how devastating a tornado can be when we witnessed the tragedies in Moore, Oklahoma.
Continue Reading...
It's summer. The weather's warm, the watermelon's on the picnic table, and the water in the swimming pool is just right. You want to be carefree, lighthearted, and let your guard down. But there's one area in which having your guard up can potentially save your life: sun protection.
Continue Reading...
Like it or not, the vast majority of us in North Carolina have become dependent on our cell phones. We rely on them not just as tools of oral communication (in fact, actually talking on the phone seems to be increasingly rare), but as tools for sending texts and emails, as both still photography and video cameras, as notepads, as gaming systems, as maps, and as music players. Indeed, today's cell phone is a far cry from the behemoth model of yesteryear, complete with its adjustable wire antenna; a cutting-edge contemporary does virtually everything!
Continue Reading...
With summer comes an intoxicating sense of freedom and fun-one to which grownups are not immune. Even those of us in the North Carolina who will continue with our usual 9-5 routines can't help but feel somewhat swept up in the magic of summer and all that it entails: the hot days, the shorts and sandals, the ample sunlight, and the barbecues. But summer also ushers in a new set of safety hazards that aren't as significant during the cooler seasons. With warm weather and even slight lifestyle changes come new threats to your personal safety. Be aware of the following summer safety hazards, and make sure you have a health insurance plan in place that will help to keep you healthy and financially secure in the event of an unexpected summer mishap.
Continue Reading...
No one revels in the delights of summer like a kid. North Carolina schools are out, the sun is high and hot, and the long days are filled with light and the prospect of innumerable adventures. In fact, because there is so much potential for adventure-much of it unsupervised-many parents opt to enroll their kids in one or more summer camps in hopes that having a set schedule and a series of planned activities in which to participate will keep the youngsters out of trouble and, most importantly, out of harm's way. But summer seems to invite as many childhood accidents as it does moments of bliss, and no matter how structured a kid's summer is, a certain amount of mishaps are inevitable. The warm weather inspires a whole new slew of activities, many of which require an increased attention to safety on the part of both kids and parents. Use the following three tips to keep kids safer this summer:
Continue Reading...