4 Simple Tips You Have To Read To Treat A Bee Sting

The bees and wasps are among us; and knowing how to avoid their nests and deal with their stings and bites is an important part of summer life in Ontario.

In a recent Examiner report, a pregnant mother of three, named Sarah Harkins, was in her back yard when she accidentally disturbed a wasp nest, and succumbed to a wasp attack that ultimately led to her tragic death. 

While rather uncommon, there was another wasp death this past July: Lucie Roussel, the Mayor of La Prairie, Quebec, died from 15 wasp bites after inadvertently stepping on a wasp nest at her cottage, according to CBC News. It is unclear from the story whether she was allergic to wasps, or had tragically died from the shock of the bites. While deaths by wasp and bee attacks are uncommon, it remains important to know what to do in the event of a sting or bite. If you have a terrible reaction to a sting or bite, you will need to consult your physician for any signs of allergies; he or she may prescribe you an epipen to keep with you in the event of any future run ins with bees or wasps. 

4 Tips for How to Treat a Bee Sting

1. Remove the stinger: If it is a honey bee, remove the stinger. Simply pinching and pulling it out with your fingers should work, otherwise find something else, like tweezers, to extract it.

2. Check for allergic reaction: If prolonged swelling in the face, mouth, or throat appear, wheezing or difficulty breathing or swallowing, or hives spread out beyond the sting, it is likely there is an allergic reaction. Take an antihistamine, or better yet an Epipen, and get to emergency immediately. 

3. Take ibuprofen, such as Advil, to treat the pain.

4. There are a number of home remedies to treat the bite or sting. You can simply ice the area, or apply a calamine or antihistamine cream. If you're more desperate, or adventurous, try applying toothpaste or honey to the wound. You can even try rubbing a slice of potato on the sting--but make sure it's raw.

3 TED Talks About Risk That Will Strike, Maybe Even Alarm, But Surely Won't Bore You

With the rapid pace of information technology, we have access to all sorts of information. These three TED talks cover issues pertinent to our future. This is an important part of this blog simply because the future is becoming more and more rapidly NOW, especially as technology and human knowledge speed up. 

This is a kind of TED theatre. What's important about the exercise of watching multiple TED talks is not the individual talks themselves, but how the ideas from the collection of talks meld with and bounce off each other to create higher-level questions and observations that ultimately lead to discussions with others. 

It is important that we learn more about the future, especially when we are talking about the broader context of insurance as the act of mitigating and securing against risk. 

1. Hubertus Knabe: Dark Secrets of the Surveillance State: The first talk is about the dark secrets of the surveillance state. With news traveling about the power of Google and how our locations are being perpetually tracked on a daily basis, not to mention the NSA and other organizations, being aware of privacy issues is critical for living in the 21st Century. Hubertus Knabe studied the Stasi, the East German Secret Service, and was even spied on by them. 

 Hubertus Knabe: Dark Secrets of the Surveillance State 

2. Nicholas Negroponte: 30 Year History of the Future: Inventor, innovator, and scholar, Nicholas Negroponte (of the Negroponte $100 laptop computer), talks about predictions he made in the 70s and 80s that came true, and leaves you with a prediction for the next 30 years.

Nicholas Negroponte: 30 Year History of the Future

3. Lorrie Faith Cranor: What's Wrong With Your Pa$$word? Lorrie Faith Cranor has studies thousands of internet passwords and has discovered a number of common mistakes users make when creating them that compromises security. How did she get at these passwords to study them? That's part of the story itself.

Lorrie Faith Cranor: What's Wrong With Your Pa$$word?

9 Tips You've Got To Read Before Hiring A Professional Mover

Moving is a stressful ordeal; it sounds easy enough, but if you've ever tried to move your family home yourself, it's very difficult and physically and mentally taxing. That's where the professional mover comes in: to take over the stress of the actual move in exchange for money. But how do you know what mover to hire? How do you avoid moving fraud, or, worse yet, horror stories of movers that hold your belongings hostage at the door of your new home while demanding more money. 

Here are 10 tips for choosing the best company to help you move into your new home:

1. Do your research: Finding the best mover for you based on price and performance will take some work, especially if you haven't moved in many years or are moving for the first time. You want to find a reputable, professional mover that has an excellent performance and reliability record. Ask family members or friends about their movers, as well as do consumer reports online. Choose at least three prospects and then begin the process.

2. Get more than one estimate: There are different costs that movers charge, from weight of the items to packing materials. A professional mover will come to your home and perform a walk through, getting a good understanding of what you are moving, and approximately the weight. Given that different moving companies will most likely charge differently, it'll be important to have your three choices come to your home and give you their best estimate. 

3. Make sure you know what you will be moving: It might be helpful to have an already prepared inventory list of all the items you want to move before the moving representative arrives. Everything you add after the quote will lead to a higher cost, so try to determine as precisely as possible what you will or will not be moving.

4. Purchase mover insurance: Mover insurance is important to protect your possessions while in tow, especially if there is a long commute such as from one province to another. 

5. Get the lowest price: Moving is very expensive, and there are often hidden costs. Professional movers can be very reliable, but they can also charge a lot. Find the lowest price possible, because the overall cost of moving will be more than you expect, especially if changing provinces.

6. Read, refer to, and keep handy the bill of landing: The Bill of Landing is the contract document between you and the mover. Read it carefully before signing it, and keep it handy during the move for reference, especially if something goes  wrong.

7. Ask questions: While meeting with the movers, make sure you have asked a lot of questions, especially about hidden costs. Also, et a good sense of the contract: what is being charged, the mover's liability for your possessions, and dates for pick up and delivery. If something is fishy, then get clarification; if it still feels fishy, then move on to the next one.

8. Keep your delivery date: If you change your delivery date while the move is in place, your possessions will have to be stored in a storage unit that will cost you more money. Make sure you are certain about a date before locking it in contractually.

9. Check inventory: A good mover will have inventory checkers throughout the process who write down every item that is being moved from one location that is then checked off at the final location. And it's often the case that the home owner is volunteered to help out with checking off the items as their being moved into the new home. Ensure that the mover is doing this, and step in to do it yourself if for some reason that procedure is not in place.

10 Must-Read Ways To Save On Home Insurance

House insurance is necessary for closing on the sale of a property. But how do you know what insurance agency will give you the best rate? And, when you're working with a  broker, how do you get as low a rate as possible?

The following are tips from the Insurance Bureau of Canada:

1. Shop around: If you have been with an insurance company for a number of years, or even on your previous home, it doesn't hurt, and may even beneficial, to shop around for a company that will give you a better rate. There's always the trade-off of more time and effort, but the result may be an extra $20-30 of cash in your pocket per month. As well, while you're talking to a broker, ask about any promotions or discounts.

2. Get a home insurance quote: If you have car insurance, consider taking out your home insurance with that same company. Often insurance companies will bundle home and car insurance to give you a lower rate.

3. Increase your deductible: You can increase the amount you need to pay in the event of an accident which will in turn lower your monthly payment. Make sure, however, that the deductible is an amount that you can actually afford to pay should there be a claim.

4. Take preventative action: You can do things to reduce the risk of accidents and damage to your home that will lower the chance of having to make an insurance claim: installing home security equipment, upgrading plumbing, reinforcing roofing, installing a backwater valve, storm shutters, sump pumps, and a fire sprinkler system.

5. Ask about further discounts: Talk to your insurance companies about any discounts, for instance if you're over the age of 55, or are mortgage or claims-free. 

6. Pay premium annually: You can avoid possible interest or service charges by making your payment annually rather than monthly. 

7. Evaluate your coverage every year: An evaluation of your insurance annually will ensure that your coverage reflects the value of your home, including any renovations, upgrades, or major purchases.

8. Quit Smoking: Many home fires are caused by careless smoking. Insurance companies will acknowledge that non-smokers have a lower risk of house fire than smokers. This simple--but not easy--act will also lower your life insurance premiums, and add years to your life. 

9. Don't over-insure your home: You will pay more if you include the value of the land surrounding the home, rather than just the house itself. Insure for what the house would cost to rebuild in the event of a loss, and not the market value of the surrounding land.

10. Keep your policy until end of term: Terminating your insurance policy before its term is over will result in a cancellation fee. If you choose to be insured with a different company, then wait until your current policy is up for renewal before doing so.

Is The Ebola Virus Really A Global Threat?

Ebola remains a concern in our world, as more bodies die in the streets, health care facilities are looted, and even high-profile doctors fall prey to the virus. 

WHO Calls Ebola A Global Emergency - August 9, 2014

But what do we know about it? In conversations I've had with people, it's unclear how it's transmitted, and how serious it is. 

Here are some things we know about it:

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola has a 90% fatality rate, and is one of the most virulent diseases;

• The disease emerged in Africa in two simultaneous outbreaks locations in 1976: one in the Congo, near the Ebola river, and the other in a remote area of Sudan;

• Ebola is spread through close contact with the blood of an infected animal (chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes, and porcupines);

• It spreads human-to-human through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids, or between broken skin or mucous membranes between a healthy person and the contaminated possessions of infected persons (blankets, clothes, needles);

• Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding;

• There remains no authorized or licensed vaccine or treatment for Ebola;

• In spite of downplaying in the media, there are some reports that claim that this strain of the Ebola virus may be airborne (transmissible from human to human through the air).

Knowing as much as you can about the Ebola virus can reduce the risk of you coming in contact with it. Just today, health workers in Berlin, Germany (breathing a sigh of relief, no doubt) claimed that a woman who returned from a trip to Africa and collapsed in a job centre. There are entries on this blog that give you tips for pandemics. It is important that you read them, and stay informed in order to reduce the existential risk of this virus, should it spread to North America, which is more than possible. 

The 7 Most Important Safety Tips When Grilling

Grilling food is a wonderful thing, yet not without some risk. Below are some important grilling safety tips to keep the emergency crews away.

1. Propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors: This seems obvious, but what about places like the garage? Does that constitute "indoors" if the garage door is open? Yes. It's advisable to never BBQ in the garage--your insurance company will most certainly frown on it, as well as the fire department.

2. Position the grill carefully: Keep the grill well away from the home, deck railings and out from under the eaves and overhanging branches, lest the heat burns these areas and causes a fire. There are many cases of houses in which the vinyl siding has melted because the grill was too close to the house.

3. Keep children and pets away: This seems like a no-brainer; but being distracted in the heat of the moment can lead one away from the care of children and pets around the grill. If you need something from inside the house, it's better to have someone else bring it out to you, rather than leaving your kids and pets to a flaming BBQ.

4. Keep the grill clean: Grease and fat builds up in the trays below the grill and can cause spread flames that may be difficult to control.

5. Never leave the grill: As with #3, it's easy to get distracted while grilling, such as suddenly wanting to grab that rub or sauce from the pantry, or needing a plate for the burgers while the sausages are still cooking; but again, it's better for someone to bring that out to you rather than leave your grill, in case the fire gets out of control.

6. Let it burn: To get all the gunk build up off the grill during cooking, let the BBQ burn at a high heat for 10 minutes once you've taken the food off--but, again, do not leave it unattended. 

7. Turn gas off first: When shutting off the grill, turn off the propane first, then switch the controls off; this will prevent residual gas from building up in the BBQ. Let it cool down with the lid off, and then brush off the grill to prevent fats and grease from building up and creating unruly flames the next time you cook. 

7 Boating Tips That Will Keep You Safe This Summer--And No, They Don't Promise To Make You Cool Like These Guys

Boating Can Be Dangerous

Boating can be dangerous. Think about it: you're in the middle of Lake Ontario with nothing but fibreglass and some vinyl or leather between you and the frigid temperature of the water, even in the middle of summer. The conditions are always changing to the pressure in the air, the speed of the winds, and even the passing of other boats that, depending on the size, can kick up some serious waves if you happen to be in a smaller vessel. What happens if your vessel capsizes and your thrown into the frigid water? Are you prepared? If you have no food on board, and you're hungry or thirsty, you may not have the strength to swim or stay afloat until help arrives. If you don't have a life preserver on, and are not comfortable even in the shallow end of your sister's swimming pool, then how will you handle choppy waters that are 70-100 feet deep? What about your children who love to sit at the bow of the boat while it's thumping 50 kms/hr across the open water? Are they equipped with life preservers? Have they been taught the safety procedures or rules of the boat? A large, open lake can cause even experienced fishers and boaters anxiety. Don't let a freak accident cause you to say, "Should have/Could have..." 

Simple Boating Tips

1. Get a Boating Licence: It is Canadian law that if you operate a watercraft that you carry with you a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, which is a boating license offered by Transport Canada and valid in Ontario and all other provinces. To acquire one, you have to take a Transport Canada approved boating course, and pass the multiple choice boating exam with a minimum score of 75%.

2. Wear Life Jackets: It's hard to look cool on your sleek sailboat with a life jacket on, but it's indeed advisable. The lack of a life jacket is the number one cause of all boating fatalities. All children and adults must wear life jackets that fit them personally. It's no good to have them on deck unless you wear them; and they'll provide some element of safety in the event of capsizing, or inadvertently falling overboard.

3. Monitor the Weather: You don't want to head out into the lake and drift into a dangerous storm. With cellular networks what they are today, it's easy to stay apprised of the weather before and while you're boating.

4. Know the Area: Make sure you're aware of the depth of the lake, the tides, and the various areas. This will help you when travelling, and in the event of emergency.

5. Share Your Sail Plan: Let others know about where you're going, including the type of boat you have--even if you're only gone for a couple of hours. 

6. Inspect your Boat: Give your boat a thorough inspection prior to taking it out. This includes your first aid kit, tools, and parts.

7. Safety Briefing: Prior to departing, show everyone on your boat where the safety and communications equipment are, and how to use them. 

8. Don't Allow Alcohol on the Boat: Approximately 40% of all boating deaths are alcohol related. Drinking and boating is very dangerous. The lake may not seem like a threatening terrain to the unexperienced eye, but can indeed presents serious danger. Consuming alcohol impairs your eyesight, motor skills, and ability to make careful and spontaneous decisions.