Blog Assignment # 4

Preparing for Winter

Hope for the best and plan for the worst

 It is that time of year when the warm weather leaves us and the cold gets ready to take its place. Many still travel to the cottage; whether heading to the north or east of the city. Drive times vary anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. The weather often is not the same from the time you leave until the time you arrive. The same is true of road conditions.

 Once you arrive, the activities or adventures you plan on doing such as skating on a frozen lake, sledding or ATV trail riding, tobogganing or cross country skiing are all fun. They can also be potentially hazardous if you are not properly prepared.  

Those already experienced know how to prepare for the winter outdoors. But for those who plan to start spending the winter outdoors, it is a good time to think of how to prepare for the unpredictable. If unprepared to deal with changing conditions, things can go horribly wrong, horribly fast. Be prepared, planning ahead and having a plan “B” is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Some Helpful Tips for Travel – whether by car, snowmobile or ATV

ü  Before heading out, make sure your vehicle is in good condition

ü  Check your oil, have a full gas tank. In cold months you should keep the tank at least half full. Gas lines will freeze in extreme cold temperatures.

ü  Have a duffle bag ready with a warm blanket and complete change of clothing. This includes socks underwear, pants tops as wear as outer wear warm hats, mitts, scarf, coat and snow pants and boots. The duffle bag should be within reach.

ü  Emergency road side kits should be fully stocked and check the batteries in flashlights

ü  If you travel alone, someone should know where you are going, when you plan to get there and check in when you do

ü  Never embark on a long snowmobile or ATV ride alone. The Buddy system is imperative as no regular traffic will come across you off-road. If they do, then you may be the one helping them.

ü  If this is a first time location, tell someone the route you are taking. Carry necessary maps and phone numbers. Take note of landmarks along the way.

ü  Be well rested for long trips, driving through falling snowflakes can be hypnotising. Heavy rain makes for difficulty seeing the lanes especially at night where it can be non- existent. Slow down, leave enough stopping distance. Vehicles are in full hydroplaning mode at 90 kmh.

ü  Carry first aid equipment, and read up on basic first aid before you go as a refresher. Carry a First aid guide in a water proof sac or bag.

ü  If you plan to be on a frozen lake, make sure it is safe: at least 6 inches thick before venturing out.

ü  Always wear appropriate clothing for any activity you choose to do.

ü  Remember WET = COLD, You should be neither in winter

ü  Be prepared

 Note: I have been active in the outdoors for many years. I have done wilderness tripping, winter camping within the guiding organization as well as personal interest. I have taken numerous courses to help prepare me for winter survival. Along with common sense and personal experience I have taken advantage of information from the following organizations publications and or courses.

Ø  Field book for Canadian Scouting

Ø  St. John Ambulance Reference Guide

Ø  St. John Ambulance official wilderness guide

Ø  Canadian Red Cross Manual

I make no claim to be an expert at outdoor survival. My advice is not to be taken as a guarantee that nothing can go wrong if you follow the tips I have provided. Everyone should know their limitations and stay within them. Myself, I always err on the side of caution and plan ahead. I hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

To listen to this on audio:
Preparing for Winter

photo bombing the college

Blog Assignment # 3

 

Transplant Hope: Use of social Media to save lives: The Impact

An article by Hélène Campbell

The Globe and Mail

November 2, 2012 

The article by Hélène Campbell from the Globe and Mail talks about how her friends created a web site to raise money for the costs associated with needing a transplant.  Hélène suffered from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a debilitating degeneration of the lungs. While waiting, she was unable to work and also had to relocate closer to the hospital for the health care needed to maintain her health until such time as the transplant takes place. The site “A lung story” became available on the web November 25, 2011. With the help of the media in Ottawa, it went from 100 views to nearly 30,000 views in just over a month. Realizing the impact that posting her story on-line had on the exposure to the needs of organ donors, they posted a video to the website. Using Facebook, Twitter and blogs, they sought out Justin Bieber to retweet the hash tags “#be an organ donor”. With his involvement, the organ donor cause became one of the top ten news topics and 326 donors added to the list. That is a 6.5 times more than the daily average. In February, after exposure on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, 720 new donors registered. By using social media, Hélène’s story went from an unknown personal story to a campaign for organ donations worldwide at no cost at all. The impact was huge.

Here is the video of her story Helene Campbell

 

 

After researching the topic, of organ donations, I didn’t realize you could register on line to be an organ donor. I carry a signed donor card in my wallet, but by registering, the decision to donate is kept in the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care database. My donor card may not be available when it is needed. Registering allows access of information to the appropriate people in a timely manner. The information is kept subject to the same privacy laws. It can only be accessed by Trillium Gift of Life Network after death or if death is imminent.

 The Trillium Gift of Life website provides statistical information on organ donations such as

•       Wait lists
•      Type of organs in demand
•      Age groups of people waiting
•      Gender Statistics of those waiting

Currently the organ highest in need is the kidney with 1,081 people waiting followed by the liver with 217. (giftoflife.on.ca. 2012).
Notable; is that even though it seems heart transplants get the most press, there are currently only 60 people on that waiting list, yet 86 for a lung.

The site also provides the link to “beadonor”. The “Be a Donor” website is a part of the Service Ontario where a person registers as a donor. Community or organizations can create their own “Gift of 8” movement (the meaning being that one person can save eight lives). Information collected by Be a Donor is subject to the same privacy laws for Ontario. To register a person need only be 16 years of age and hold a valid health card.

Using social media definitely propelled Hélène’s story into the forefront for a short time and there is no doubt that social media was the reason. That being said, social media users are fickle and are always on the move to the next trend. Organ donations are an everyday important issue, the question is how do you keep the public interest?  

References

Campbell, November 2, 2012. Transport hope: Use social media to save lives. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/transplant-hope-use-social-media-to-save-lives/article4837070/?cmpid=rss1

@alungstory, Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

https://twitter.com/alungstory

Be a donor. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

https://beadonor.ca/communities

Trillium Gift of Life. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

http://www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/

A lung story. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

http://www.alungstory.ca/

Service Ontario. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

http://www.ontario.ca/health-and-wellness/organ-and-tissue-donor-registration

Service Ontario. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

http://www.ontario.ca/health-and-wellness/organ-and-tissue-donor-registration

Mumford, Jan 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from

http://vimeo.com/33049031#

 

Blog Assignment # 2

“Privacy is dead, and Social Media holds the smoking gun”.

 

This is a quote and headline for an article written October 28, 2009 by Pete Cashmore, founder and CEO of “Mashable” (a social media blog site). In the article Pete tells us of a new camera called the “SenseCam”. This camera was developed by Microsoft Research and retails for $820. The camera is strapped around your neck and records and image every 30 seconds.  Vicon (who bought the licensing rights from Microsoft Research) intends to develop the camera for research work on Alzheimer’s and dementia. While research of these diseases is welcome, the original camera is available to the public for whatever purpose they decide. The dilemma he points out is even though we recognize the loss of privacy this new camera presents and the increase exposure to criminal behaviour, do we give up our privacy anyway because without sharing your life online you risk becoming non-existent in the virtual world? So much of our lives use social media: socializing, employment, and self-improvement. Every time a new Application is invented, it seems to be one more way to loose privacy. If you don’t get on board, you get left behind and if you get left behind, do you still exist? If no one can “Google” you, then do you really exist?   

 

Social media does put a gun to your back and tries to shove you along. The social networking sites Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Pinterest (the list is long) all want you to join.  When I was young, there was a question my mom would ask (usually looking me right in the eye, slightly bent over and with hands on hips) “well, if so and so jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a bridge too?”  Since the answer was always “no”, I’ve grown up following my own path, making my own decisions on what was right for me. When I get home from work, I am too tired to sit in front of a computer screen typing when there is a perfectly good TV screen to watch and comfortable couch from where to watch it. I am that demographic that has little interest in spending oodles of time chatting with my fingers rather than a face to face visit that begins with a hug and smile. I know my friends have Facebook accounts and post pictures and their life story on line. In comparison, I have e-mail that comes to my blackberry. Quite frankly, I don’t want my social life on line and I don’t feel like I am worse off for it. In fact, whenever I add an email address into my contacts, my spam filter gets fatigued. I feel like I’m in that old shampoo commercial (I think it was “Prell” or “Pert”) where they say “I tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on and so on….” Perhaps one day, I will join the web race, but in the meantime; the more details that are posted the more vulnerable you become. Besides I have “friends” I have never heard of.

 

“Pound the pavement” used to be the only way to find a job.  In a human resources course I took, “drop off” applications and “cold calls” are still the number one source companies use to hire. One reason is that it shows initiative on the part of a person who has sought out the company for employment. Second, the hiring company doesn’t bear any recruitment costs.  However, LinkedIn would like you to join their site and network among professionals.  Joining and paying professional association fees is also an in. But regardless of the profession you are in, it is sometimes “who you know and not what you know that gets you places”. The pressure is on the get as many people to “know you”. Once again, it means putting details of your life online to gain access to opportunity.

 
 

“Tag you’re it” used to be an expression we yelled as kids while chasing each other around the yard. Now we are “tagged”. Photos are geo-tagged; phones have GPS and can be pinpointed by their signals. Any comments, photos posted in Facebook can be date, time and location stamped. "On Star" tracks your vehicle in real time. “Fitbit” is a pedometer that tracks your exercise and sleep patterns which then transmits the data. Even a satellite image of your home can be accessed on Google maps.

 

Where is personal privacy going? It is fast slipping away but not dead. Social Media has fired a shot across the bow and the curious come out to see. People need to take notice and exercise more care when it comes to what they are posting on line. It is personal, permanent and available to the billions of internet users. Things you can do to help yourself:

• Be discerning,
• Be careful not to post dates of activities or vacations.
• Be critical of requests for money or verifying account information – notify the institution of suspected fraud

Remember the old saying: The best way to keep a secret is to not tell anyone.

 

Useful links for privacy protection

www.nw3c.org

www.priv.gc.ca

www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

 

Interesting related articles

www.dailymail.co.uk

www.huffingtonpost.ca

References

 

Boggan. (2010, December 31). Facecrook: As offences linked to social networking sites increase 7,000%, the terrifying truth about criminals targeting your home. Retrieved October 17, 2012. From
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340024/Facecrook-As-offences-linked-social-networking-sites-increase-7-000--terrifying-truth-criminals-targeting-home.html

 (2012, May 30). Accessing personal information under PIPEDA, Frequently asked questions. Retrieved October 17, 2012, from

http://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_54_ati_01_e.asp

 (2008, April 15). Identity Theft: What it is and what you can do about it. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from

http://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_10_e.asp

 (2012, April 27) Identity Theft and Identity Fraud. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/id-theft-vol-eng.htm

Campbell. (2012, September 9). Identity Theft Canada: Stolen IDs Used To Obtain Real Passports, RCMP Report Says. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/09/09/identity-theft-canada_n_1868172.html

 Cashmore. (2009, October 28). Privacy is dead, and social media hold smoking gun. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/10/28/cashmore.online.privacy/

 Murphy. (2011. June 27). Social Media Statistics: Mind-Boggling Facts About the Medium. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from

http://www.technewsdaily.com/2786-social-media-statistics-mind-boggling-facts-about-the-medium.html

 Leena. (2012, July 5). Social Occasion by Leena. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from

http://socialleena.blogspot.ca/2012/07/privacy-is-dead-and-social-media-holds.html