LOS ANGELES — Disaster can strike everywhere — even in some of America’s richest and most exclusive neighborhoods.
Six wildfires have destroyed homes and caused the closure of one of America’s busiest freeways around Los Angeles while forcing nearly 200,000 people from their homes. All total, 141,000 acres have burned in the fires, which stretch from L.A. to San Diego. They are being fed by strong winds and dry conditions.
“It was dark until I saw a gigantic ball of orange,” motorist Tiffany Lynette Anderson wrote on Instagram Wednesday.
Anderson was driving to work on Interstate 405 between South Central Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley when she encountered the Skirball Fire. The fire scorched hundreds of acres and burned several homes in the Bel-Air neighborhood just north of Beverly Hills.
The fire was so intense that it forced authorities to close the 405 — one of America’s busiest freeways during rush hour, The Los Angeles Times reported. A mandatory evacuation area for the fire included the Getty Center, a popular art museum.
One of the wildfires, the Thomas Fire in Ventura, is the largest December wildfire in California’s history.
‘I Was Going To Die In This House’
The fire is burning near some of the city’s most famous neighborhoods including Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard, Brentwood and UCLA. The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) campus is close to the fire but had not been evacuated.
“I was going to die in this house,” resident Beverly Freeman told The Times. She woke up to find her neighborhood burning. “The flames have never come so close.”
Freeman got out safely but lost all her belongings.
“It’s been years since anything here has burned at all,” Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Cody Weireter told The Times. “You’ve got heavy, heavy brush, you’ve got the dryness, obviously, we haven’t had any rain at all. A lot of the fire is topography-driven, which already becomes dangerous. The wind is going to increase that twofold.”
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With all the rape incidents reported across the nation, women should learn self-defense against rapists. Check out these tips on how you can prevent this horrendous atrocity from happening.
Women Self-Defense: Fight Against Sexual Assault
What would you do when someone suspicious is following you as you walk home from work or school? Nowadays, we can't be too complacent of our surroundings, especially in these tough times where the crime rate is up and rape cases are on a relentless rise. Ladies, you should take the necessary precautions to avoid sexual assaults because, for all we know, some nympho might be silently waiting for its next victim. Learn these self-defense tips below and protect yourself at all cost!
1. Look Them in the Face
If you feel you are being followed, look them straight in the face and ask them questions or make small talk. It is important to see their faces for you to clearly identify them. This may lessen the would-be attacker's interest to make you a target.
2. Shout Stop or Stay Back
When you see someone approaching, clench your fist in front of you and shout “Stay back!” or “Stop!” as loud as you can. Most attackers will leave you alone if you show you're not afraid to fight back. Shouting is a great form of self-defense against rapists.
3. Carry a Pepper Spray
If you have a pepper spray, hold it out in plain sight while shouting. Pepper spray contains active ingredients from chili peppers that are distinctly pungent and very hurtful to the eyes. This will deter the would-be attacker from coming towards you. Be sure you are willing and able to use it.
4. Pinch Them
If the attacker holds you around your waist from the back, pinch them under their arms or between the armpit and the elbow. You can also squeeze them as hard as you can in the upper inner thigh. Those places hurt like hell when pinched.
5. Hit Them in the Groin
After the initial hit, always go for the groin. In a fair fight, going for the groin is frowned upon but when you’re attacked, it won't be a fair fight. After giving a solid hit to the groin, the attacker will think twice about attacking you. This will give you a chance to make a quick exit and call for help. Striking the groin is a very effective form of self-defense against rapists.
6. Bend Their Fingers
If the attacker puts their hands on you, grab the first two fingers and bend them back as far as you can while applying as much downward pressure on them as possible. Try it on yourself if you want, it is quite painful.
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Situational awareness should always be practiced. Be alert and check your surroundings, especially if you are walking alone. Walk with someone you know if possible. If you notice odd behavior from a stranger, trust your gut and do what is necessary.
Acting this way may seem a little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the person did have any wicked intent. Not all effective self-defense comes in form of combat. Awareness can deter any life-threatening situation.
8. Use Your Elbow
Your elbow is an extremely efficient self-defense tool. Elbow strikes can leave your attacker out cold or completely unconscious. If you are close enough, do not hesitate to hit the perpetrator with your elbow with all your strength.
9. Toss Your Wallet Away
Do not simply hand your purse or wallet if a mugger asks for it. Instead, throw it away from you. Odds are, they are more interested in the money in your wallet or purse than they are with you. If they go for the money, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION! Running is a valid self-defense one can easily do.
10. Kick Out the Tail Lights
If they force you inside the trunk, kick the back of the tail lights and get your arms out there! Stick your arms and hands out until someone sees you. This has saved many lives. Also, keep in mind all newer cars have an emergency trunk release you can pull to get out of the trunk.
The key here is to listen. If you feel your attacker has stopped at an intersection with people nearby, that would be a safe time to exit the vehicle. Chances are, they will attempt to flee the scene and not try to get you back in the trunk anymore.
11. Start Your Engine and Leave
Most women have the habit of staying in their cars and doing things like checking their phones or fixing their bags before they actually leave the premises. This makes you a major target and is a huge no-no. As soon as you are in your car, start the engine and leave. Do not sit around balancing your checkbook. That can be done as soon as you get home.
12. Stay Alert When Entering Your Car
Speaking of cars in a parking lot or garage, these are the safety measures to keep in mind:
Be alert: Look around before entering your car. Check the passenger side and the back seat as this is where perpetrators usually hide when they gain access to your vehicle.
Enter your car through the passenger door if you are parked next to a van. This will feel and look silly, but it’s better than being abducted. Many attackers will surprise their victims by forcing them into the van while the victim is attempting to enter their vehicle.
Take a good look at the parked cars on both sides of the car. If you see a suspicious male sitting in the seat near you, turn around and go back to where you came from and ask a security guard or a police officer to walk you to your vehicle. It is better to be silly yet safe rather than become a victim.
13. Take the Elevator
NEVER take the stairs alone at night unless you have no other option. If at all possible, take the elevator. Stairwells are notorious for being the perfect place to commit a crime.
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Take all of these things into consideration when heading out at night. This might make you feel awkward and may not ward off all attacks, but anything you can do to help yourself is worth it. After all, you are better off paranoid than dead. Stay safe, ladies!
Do you know other self-defense against rapists? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
The Battery Powered Heater – Mythical Emergency Heating System
There are thousands of online searches each month for “battery operated heaters” and “battery powered heaters”. A cordless heater that runs on a couple batteries that we can easily swap and recharge would be handy. The bad news: A portable battery powered space heater does not exist.
Good News: There are some options available you might not know about. You can buy safe indoor propane heaters.
If battery technology advances enough, it is possible a battery powered space heater might exist in the future. We will update this post if technology changes.
Safe Indoor Space Heaters
There are a number of safe indoor propane heaters. Both of the units below are California compliant. If you stock a number of the propane tanks or have a larger external one you can provide relatively safe emergency backup heat.
If you have natural gas utility as an option, you might consider a unit such as the Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Natural Gas Blue Flame Vent Free Heater – but it requires natural gas feed installation. Remember in large storms and hurricanes natural gas may not continue to be available.
Using a propane heater, even a safe one does have risks such as: fire, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. But for these safer units the other risk you might not know about is water vapor. A propane burner that has a correct burn, creates mostly water and CO2. That is how the ultra efficient safer units got California compliance. The extra water vapor can be an issue if the unit is run for an extended period.
Fire: The highly efficient indoor propane units are designed with shields, but they is still a risk of fire. Similar to a plug in electrical heater. Never place flammable objects near a heat source, especially a propane heater, unless your unit indicates otherwise. Some portable propane heaters do allow flammable materials on the back side of the unit, such as the cabinet mounted Big Buddy shown below.
CO2: Nearly all the safe indoor propane heaters have oxygen sensors so they will shut off automatically if they detect too little oxygen. If your home is very tight you may need to crack a window to allow carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to escape and oxygen to enter the area, especially for small areas less than 20 x 20 ft. More information on the exhaust from an indoor propane heater.
Water: Using a safe propane heater indoors can create a lot of water vapor. You may have issues with moisture on windows (condensation) if you use a propane heater in the winter (low humidity).
You must have a fire extinguisher in your home or apartment and one in your utility area if you have a larger home. Even if you don't purchase a propane heater, or a wood stove, you need a fire extinguisher.
Questions and Answers About Batteries and Heaters
How does a 12 volt heater in a car work?
It actually isn't a heater. It is a fan that blows air past a coil with hot coolant from the engine. The air is blow past a coil. The air cools the coil (while it warms the air – heat transfer). So the heater is a combination of a fan and the gas or diesel coolant system.
Don't some cars have 12 volt heaters?
Yes, you can purchase 12 volt resistance heaters that create about 150 watts of heat and draw about 20 amps (so it needs a 20amp fuse). A 150 watt heater creates about 500 BTU per hour (a home system creates 40,000 to 200,000 BTU). So the little 20 amp heater is not going to heat a house, but it will still drain a 12 volt car battery dead very quickly.
Electric cars also use a 12 volt resistance heater. The electric car 12 volt resistance heaters use a LOT of electricity, and in electric cars, this quickly results in the backup gas engine being engaged or the car needing a charge quickly.
How Does a battery create heat?
It is basically electric resistance heating, which uses a lot of current (electricity) to create the heat. The battery goes through a high resistance coil (heating element) and it resists the electrical flow and heats up. This uses a lot of electrical power or current. A home normally needs 40,000 to 150,000 BTU. A small car battery heater creates 500 BTU at 12 volts 20amps – so you would need 100 to 500 car batteries to heat a home with electricity for any extended period of time. Its not currently practical to use batteries to power resistance based heat systems.
Can't I get any heat from a battery?
Yes, there are small Battery Powered Hand and Foot Warmers such as the Autocastle rechargeable heated gloves. These type of gloves generally use expensive high wattage LIPO batteries and still only last a few hours. A better alternative for emergency use is chemical hand warmers, such as HotHands Hard Warmers. You can get 8 pair of HotHands Warmers for under 10 bucks, and each set of warmers provides up to ten hours of heat. (Reviewers commented that they've had them stay warm from around 3 hours to 12 hours, depending on conditions.) The chemical hand warmers are far more effective, but they are one time use.
Isn't there a 12 volt heater on Amazon?
The only thing that comes close to a battery powered heater is a unit such as the “Portable Tent Heater” sold on Amazon. This unit likely uses an automotive 12 volt car electric resistance heater. A 12 volt DC resistance heater is normally intended for use while a car is running (generating 12 volt electricity). We don't recommend it.
Could I use a car 12 volt resistance heater?
The small car 12 volt resistance heaters use an 12 volt alternator for power, not the car battery. The alternator is powered by a the gas or diesel engine. It creates about 100 amps of power while the engine is running (the 150 watt 20 amp heaters use up 1/5th of that power).
The alternator charges the battery and runs the electronics in the car, including the 12 volt resistance electric heater. A single automotive 12 volt battery can't power a 12 volt heater for very long without being drained completely. It can be drained so much that it will damage the battery. If you are not careful setting up the power for a heater that uses 12 volt car batteries, it can easily cause a fire. So you might be avoiding propane to avoid fire, but any resistance based heating can also cause a fire.
A safe 12 volt heating system would require multiple 12 volt car batteries. Portable battery powered heating is not practical. You'd need to recharge all the batteries every day, which would be a challenge, as the batteries would drain faster than they charge. It would require overdraw protection and fuses or breakers to protect from excessive amperage draw. Further the amount of electricity needed to create space heating is significant. That is why whole house electric heaters or electric stoves are expensive to operate, they draw a lot of electricity.
To heat a 1200 square foot home would require dozens of 12 volt car batteries. So as we noted, there is is no such thing as a battery operated space heater. If you see one advertised, it is probably a scam or mislabeled product search result.
If it weren’t for bad luck, some folks would have no luck all. But these folks often seem to have a deep-seated determination that drives them through the rough spots. One such determined fellow of the past was Ernest Shackleton. As an Antarctic explorer, his survival story – one of the most incredible in recorded history — can teach us all a bit about the grit it takes to get out of a serious pinch.
Ernest Shackleton was born an Anglo Irishman in 1874 and was raised in bustling London during the height of English imperialism. Bursting with energy and enthusiasm, at a young age Shackleton knew a life of adventure waited for him, as he dreamed of far-off lands and watched the sailing ships return from their exotic journeys. He became a certified master mariner, an Antarctic explorer, secretary of the Scottish geographical society, and made an attempt at English Parliament — all before his 30th birthday. To say the young boy from London had ambition, with the drive to match it, would be an understatement.
As Shackleton grew he was pestered by an underlying determination to achieve some sort of notoriety. At first his goal was to become the first to lead an expedition to the South Pole. Despite his best efforts he was unsuccessful in several attempts, and Roland Amundsen would become the first recorded human to stand on our most southern point. With the prestige of that journey evaporated, Shackleton shifted course and set a new goal: to become the first recorded man to cross the Antarctic continent.
You can imagine how daunting this challenge would have been. He guessed the journey to be roughly 1,800 miles – 1,800 miles across the desolate, frozen, wind-swept, nothingness of Antarctica. Not only that, but he planned to start this expedition in the Weddell sea, a body of water generally unexplored at the time. In fact, much of the expedition would be through places the maps simply left blank. Heap on the added challenge of exploring a place where the record low is -128 degree Fahrenheit, and it becomes clear he was willing to risk everything. (He recorded temperatures of -23 – although it undoubtedly was colder at times.)
Despite the odds against an expedition, in 1913 Shackleton sorted through 5,000 applications to select the 28 men he believed would help achieve his goals. The group, a mix of experienced sailors, adventurers and greenhorns, set to sea aboard The Endurance on Aug. 8, 1914. As the unquestioned leader of the group Shackleton — or “The Boss” to his men — ran a tight ship. He believed in order and the necessity of routines to help the atmosphere and environment of the expedition. From the stories, The Boss had an intuitive way of leading men. This trait would be tested to its fullest potential in the coming months. The voyage went smoothly across the Atlantic and on Dec. 5, 1914, The Endurance and her crew pushed off from their last supply point at South Georgia island for the Weddell sea to begin their Antarctic exploration, looking to take advantage of the summer in Antarctica, which runs from late December through March. Little did they know, though, about the hardships awaiting.
As The Endurance moved south into the Weddell sea they began to encounter especially thick sea ice. The ship and her crew pushed on, slowly picking their way through the ice pack to open water. Ever so slowly the routes of escape grew less and less. Before long, The Endurance was surrounded by ice in all directions. Try as they might, the ship could not break through. Men were put to work trying to clear a path through the ice with saws and pick axes, but to no avail. By Jan. 19, 1915, it was becoming clear to The Boss the ship was stuck. A month later in his journal Shackleton noted, “The Endurance was confined for the winter …Where will the vagrant winds and currents carry the ship during the long winter months that await us?” Seems like the kind of uncertainty that can be a bit unsettling.
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At that point, all the men could do was sit and wait. The men were kept busy by cleaning the ship and performing regular chores. They also passed the time playing improvised soccer games and other forms of impromptu entertainment. Several of the men spent a good deal of time with the expedition’s sled dogs, which had been brought along the anticipated overland journey. All-in-all, the men made the best of a bad situation and spirits were as high as could be expected. This resolve would soon be tested by the ferocious elements surrounding them.
In July of 1915 the ship was becoming increasingly stressed by pressure from the surrounding ice. It moaned and creaked. Over the next few months, The Endurance would slowly crumble before the men’s very eyes. By October, the boat had nearly tipped completely sideways. It was becoming increasingly unsafe for the men to stay aboard and on Oct. 27, 1915, the order was given to abandon ship. There, on the floating sea ice, the men unloaded their gear, dogs and necessities to establish Ocean Camp, surrounding their disintegrating ship. In the sub-zero temperatures and gusting winds of 70 mph they could only watch as their ship was reduced to splinters.
“It is hard to write what I feel,” read the journal entry of Shackleton. In the middle of an unexplored sea, floating haphazardly on ice no less, the group had just lost their ship.
By this point, the men had consumed nearly all of their food supplies, and the seals and penguins they hunted had vanished. Not only that, but they had determined that the ship has drifted over 1,100 miles trapped in the ice. Off course, food deprived, cold, and without communication or a boat, the crew could only do their best to ensure their continued survival. All of the dangers the men accepted when volunteering for the voyage were becoming more and more real. Nearly a year after being frozen in, the men had lost nearly everything and their odds of getting off the ice during the second year looked bleak.
That changed, however, by April of 1916. Incredibly, the winds had pushed the men within sight of Elephant Island, which lies on the extreme north edge of the Weddell sea. Just before The Endeavour sank, the men had managed to retrieve two of the lifeboats on the vessel. Although the boats were necessarily small, they offered the advantage of being able to be pulled around on top of the ice. Seeing some open water and an opportunity, Shackleton ordered the men to take to the boats and head for the island. In high spirits they landed and pitched camp. It was the first time the men had set foot on dry land in 497 days.
The celebration was short lived, though, as The Boss realized they were not out of the woods yet. The pack ice once again began closing in, and with no way to reach the outside world Shackleton made what likely was one of the most gut-wrenching decisions of his life. He decided to take a small crew and set sail for South Georgia Island, some 800 miles away. The ocean they had to cross contained some of the most violent waters in the world, and they fully expected to encounter 50-feet waves, ice cold water, and winds of 70 mph or more. And they were going to try it on a 22-food lifeboat called the James Caird. It had to feel like a suicide mission, but what ensued will go down as one of the greatest small boat journeys of all time.
Nearly immediately, the rough waves spilled over the sides, soaking the six men and their equipment. Clothes, sleeping bags and all other aspects of their gear became saturated with the freezing ocean water. For days on end, the small crew sailed on, soaked to the bone and battling strong winds and sleep deprivation. As ice built up over a foot thick on the boat itself, steering and balancing the small boat became a continuous chore. Although the elements tested the men to their core, their biggest threat came from the water itself.
In the middle of a particularly rough stretch of water Shackleton called out to the men that the sky was clearing ahead. Except that it wasn’t. Shackleton wrote:
I called to the other men that the sky was clearing, and then a moment later I realized that what I had seen was not a rift in the clouds but the white crest of an enormous wave.
During twenty-six years’ experience of the ocean in all its moods I had not encountered a wave so gigantic.
It was a mighty upheaval of the ocean, a thing quite apart from the big white-capped seas that had been our tireless enemies for many days. I shouted ‘For God’s sake, hold on! It’s got us.’ Then came a moment of suspense that seemed drawn out into hours. White surged the foam of the breaking sea around us. We felt our boat lifted and flung forward like a cork in breaking surf. We were in a seething chaos of tortured water; but somehow the boat lived through it, half full of water, sagging to the dead weight and shuddering under the blow. We baled with the energy of men fighting for life, flinging the water over the sides with every receptacle that came to our hands, and after ten minutes of uncertainty we felt the boat renew her life beneath us
With no time to waste, the crew pushed onward into the unknown. In a stroke of fortune, the crew of the James Caird managed to locate South Georgia island a harrowing 14 days after leaving Elephant Island. Bedraggled, frostbitten, sleep deprived and water logged, the small crew put ashore on a desolate shore. Shackleton knew the location of a whaling station on the island, but getting there would be a challenge. Not only were the men cold, worn down and exhausted, but the country between their landing location and the whaling station was once again blank on the map. If The Boss was to get to the station and save his crew, he would once again need to risk life and limb in order to do so.
With two of the men in bad shape, Shackleton left one man behind to tend to their needs and he along with two other fellows embarked across the glaciers and rocky mountains of South Georgia Island. At one point the three men had to huddle together for body warmth simply to stay alive. Shackleton feared they would die if they slept, so they marched on without rest. It took the feeble group five days to cover the distance between their landing area and the whaling station. They were taken in by the station and given some very basic comforts, including a bath, shave and rest in a warm and dry bed.
True to his leadership reputation, The Boss wasted no time in setting out to rescue his two stranded parties of men. The sick men with the James Caird were fetched rather easily, but the 22 men on Elephant Island would pose a different story altogether. It would take the help of multiple governments and four ships to finally reach the stranded men on the desolate island. It was Aug. 30, 1916, when Shackleton finally gained sight of the men he had departed from some four months prior. It had been 634 days since the crew had initially headed into the unforgiving Antarctic waters — 634 days of frigid cold, wind and uncertainty. Amazingly, they all were still alive.
The legendary Shackleton Antarctic expedition was fortunate in that not a single man was lost. The story highlights the absolute tenacity of the human spirit and underscores what a person can endure. Not only that, but lessons from Shackleton’s leadership during the expedition may teach us about handling ourselves in seemingly hopeless situations. The story of Ernest Shackleton is one for the ages.
Bibliography
Bio.com Editors. (2016, Feb. 3). Ernest Shackleton. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2016, from The Biography.com website : http://ift.tt/2dyehUP
Buleen, C. (2016, Dec. 7). Average Temperatue of Antarctica. Retrieved Dec. 7, 2016, from USA Today.com: http://ift.tt/16bsP18
Emergency information saved on your phone is absolutely important in a life and death situation. Read on and find out how to set it up on your Android device!
Emergency Information: Your Phone Can Save You
Although we don't want it to happen, there is a possibility we might encounter a life-threatening situation where we can't help ourselves. This is the time emergency information stored on our phones can make an enormous impact on our chances of survival. Rescuers can have access to our emergency contacts and other vital information without unlocking the phone or entering any password or PIN. Below is an overview of the page and the steps on how to add it on your Android phone.
Basic Overview of the Emergency Information Page
The emergency information page is most applicable to users who have a secure lock screen. When you turn on the display, you'll go to a secure login prompt where you have to enter a pattern, password or a PIN. On that lock screen, you'll see a text that says “EMERGENCY.” When you click it, you'll see a dial pad.
Android included this feature so anyone can call 911 in an emergency situation. On this page, you'll see an emergency information button. Double tap the button to check the information.
Basically, there are two sections in the emergency information page: the info and contact section. The info section has the owner's address, blood type, allergies, medication, and other medical notes. On the other hand, the contact section will bring you to the number you have to call in an emergency situation. It will show the emergency contact person's name and phone number, so calling them will no longer require any PIN or password.
Again, this page is something you might want to look for if you're providing first aid to someone who is unresponsive. They might have this page configured on their phones.
Setting up Emergency Information
Follow these simple steps and fill out the necessary information on your Android phone accordingly.
1. Go to Settings then select Users
At the user screen, look for the text that says “Emergency Information” and then tap it. A pop-up screen will appear saying the information you enter here will help first aid responders in an emergency along with other helpful information. It will just appear the first time you visit here. Juss press “Continue” when you're done inputting the information needed.
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On this page, you'll find several options like Name, Address, and other things you need to fill out. Click Name and enter your name in the pop-up box. After adding your name, press OK. Continue clicking the other fields and enter the right information.
3. The Contacts Tab
Click the contacts tab to add a contact to your emergency information. Look for the text that says “Add Contact” and select it. It will allow you to add contacts from your contacts list to the emergency information page. Choose the contact or the person you want to add and tap on the name. It can be your wife, husband, mother or father, or anyone you want to be notified in an emergency situation. You can add as many emergency contacts as you want.
Watch this video from TheUrbanPrepper that will walk you through setting up Emergency Information on Android!
There can be scenarios where you can be unresponsive or have lost consciousness. Your life is in the hands of the people who will come to your aid. Your phone will play a pivotal role in circumstances like these and will increase your chances of survival. Rescuers will know who to call and will have access to important medical info about you through your smartphone without using a PIN or password to unlock it. So if you still don't have the emergency information on your phone filled out, you might want to do it now. Stay safe!
Do you know how to add emergency information on other phones? We would like to know about it. Share it with us in the comments below!
Who needs a clock to tell time when you can simply look at a sign and instantly know whether it’s day or night. This whimsical sign shows you exactly what time of day it is. Display your 2 favorite coffee cups under AM and 2 wine glasses under PM and you and your guests will always know what time it is at your house! Also, this can be a great gift! This rack is avalilable in the link below.
