Category hompeage

A gas can was apparently placed next to the fire, exploding around 9:40 p.m. The man suffered first- and second-degree burns on his upper body, hands, and face.

He was first treated by local EMTs and paramedics, then transported to Stony Brook University Hospital via helicopter. Police say that he is expected to survive, despite the serious nature of his injuries.

This is the second incident involving a fire pit that has made headlines this month alone.

On March 2, it was reported that a fire that spread from a pit outside a Lincoln, NE, home had displaced the resident and caused about $40,000 in damage. The home was most recently valued at $52,000, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star.

In that case, the propane-fed fire spread to a home addition due to the wind. Once fire crews arrived on the scene, they were able to cut into the roof of the house and control the flames in about 12 minutes.

Fire Safety Tips
Especially as warmer weather prompts homeowners to spend more time outside, it’s important to remember some basic tips that can allow for safe enjoyment of outdoor fires.

Outdoor fires should always be contained in a fire pit or similar fixture, and should be at least 10 feet away from vegetation or structures of any kind. Homeowners should have a garden hose and bucket of water standing ready beforestarting a fire.

And, as HGTV recommends regarding fire safety in outdoor fixtures, one of the simplest safety measures to take is limiting the size of outdoor fires: “There’s no need for a blazing bonfire, and the bigger the fire, the greater the potential for disaster.”

“Landscaping companies should be telling their customers about the safety hazards of wood burning fire pits,” Tom Rother, owner of Lawn & Leisure. “They need to be completely extinguished before leaving the site, or a screen needs to be put over it. Having pavers underneath the pit also prevents discoloring your deck. Gas fire pits are often much safer than wood because they can be completely and immediately extinguished after use.”

The Kansas City Star reports, however, that the issue of tattoos in the workplace is affecting the relationship between employers and employees. Particularly, it is putting a strain on hiring policies.

The paper points out that although having a tattoo or body piercing is perfectly legal and protected under the First Amendment, employers have a right to deny employment to the visibly tatted. Several American courts have ruled that unless the tattoo or piercing is for a religious or class observance, employers have full power to discriminate against people of color…in their skin.

Why do employers have this right? According to many court analysts, employers have an inherent right to regulate the appearance of their employees. Physical features that are “mutable” (i.e. capable of change) are not protected under the law in the workplace. Technically, tattoos are reversible, though tattoo removal is often an expensive and painful process.

Inevitably, this has cause tension between the generally older managerial class and up-and-coming younger workers. According to the New York Times, 23% of Americans have at least one tattoo. Furthermore, 32% of Americans between the ages of 30 and 45 have a tattoo.

However, the workplace dynamics across America are changing. Because tattoos are more common in younger generations, employers often struggle to fully enforce the ban of visible tattoos. A study recently conducted by business professors at Texas AandM University-Corpus Christi suggests that employers should be more lenient with tattoo and piercing bans, considering these bans can block otherwise capable and willing talent from the workforce.

“Some of today’s best candidates may have modifications that you consider undesirable,” wrote Profs. Brian Elzweig and Donna Peeples in the study. “Who knows, as these people grow and mature in their careers, the modifications may suddenly disappear. After all, they have to be competitive in their market.”

The professors point out the fact that tattoos and piercings are still relatively rare in the upper echelons of business, and that the higher-ups in general “subliminally” discriminate against potential employees with body art, due to the attitude that they are uncouth in the business world.

The study recommends that if employers are adamant in banning tattooed employees, they should do so without regard to gender. For example, if a company bans women from having colored highlights in their hair, they should extend that ban to men. If men are required to remove facial piercings or cover tattoos, then their female counterparts should conform to the same standards.

Regardless of what older or more conservative employers think about tattoos, the fact remains that the younger generation, whose acceptance of body art is well-known, will eventually come to replace them and will determine rules accordingly.

The Southern Tier’s wild turkey population is in decline despite continued conservation efforts.

The drop has been linked to a gradual decrease in habitat, an increase in natural predators, severe winters, and wet springs and summers — all of which can impact breeding and the survival of young turkeys. In addition, a virus found nearly five years ago causing tumors in wild turkeys may also be contributing to the population loss. While the virus is less deadly than first thought, researchers have discovered that it is widespread.

During the 1800s, New York State’s wild turkey population was completely eradicated due to over-hunting and forest clearing, however, wild turkeys were reintroduced in 1948 after a small, remnant population was discovered in Pennsylvania.

As abandoned farmland land slowly reverted to forest, New York’s wild turkey population flourished, reaching a high of an estimated 300,000 birds in 2001. The wild turkey population also boomed at the same time rabies significantly reduced the number of raccoons and other nest predators.

“There has been a gradual decline over the past decade, to about 180,000 statewide today,” said Mike Schiavone, a wildlife biologist who heads wild turkey research for the Department of Environmental Conservation. The wild turkey population is said to be at a 15-year low in New York.

This comes at a time when the state is also experiencing a decrease in hunting licenses. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the number of hunting licenses has fallen 15% since 2002. The US Fish and Wildlife service reports a 19% decrease.

“You have a much more urban population than say 50 years ago so people that grow up in the city tend to play video games and don’t come out to hunt and fish,” said David Simmons, President of the Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.

Simmons says continued urbanization and a decline in game such as wild turkey have also contributed to the drop in licenses.

Despite a decrease in hunting licenses, statistics reveal hunting is safer than ever in New York state, reporting less injuries from bows and firearms. Statewide, the drop in hunting-related accidents was dramatic, falling from 137 per year during the 1960s to just 22 last year. This includes injuries caused by rifles, shotguns, pellet guns, and bows.

In New York State as well as the rest of the U.S., hunters often wear camouflage clothing to disguise themselves from game while hunting. However, it’s common for hunters to also where reflective material, to alert other hunters of their presence.

When U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy visited the Ozarks recently to discuss the region’s most important healthcare concerns, he discussed the importance of vaccinations for serious diseases, including the measles and the flu.

While the annual flu vaccine isn’t 100% effective at preventing the flu each year, it can ameliorate the symptoms and shorten their duration. Of course, this year’s flu vaccine hasn’t been as effective as originally planned; it’s estimated that anywhere between 5% and 20% of Americans get the flu each year, but for the 2014-2015 season, that percentage will probably be closer to the 20% mark.

In the Ozarks, although KSPR 33 notes that flu cases are abnormally low this year, OzarksFirst.com still states that an estimated 2,200 area residents have contracted the virus so far.

One of the more frustrating aspects of viruses like the common flu is that there are neither preventative strategies that can be administered early to prevent contracting the virus (unlike the vaccines for the mumps and measles, which are incredibly effective as preventative strategies), nor are there ways to “treat” the flu after someone has contracted the virus.

Instead, many people have begun turning to therapeutic preventative measures, like the Bodywork and Energywork massage therapies offered by the spa and massage therapy service Healing Hands Mobile Massage, located right here in the Lake of the Ozarks.

Although these services are not easily measured or tested through scientific studies, countless patients argue that a more therapeutic approach to health — one that addresses both physical healing and mental strength — has very real physical effects on the body that bolster the immune system against viruses and infections.

Until a vaccine is created that is 100% effective at preventing the flu, perhaps these therapeutic treatments are the Ozarks’ best shot at staying healthy.

The prison bus skidded off an icy Interstate near Penwell, slid down an embankment and collided with a freight train. The prisoners were handcuffed together but none of them had seat belts, and several were ejected from the bus when it struck the train. In addition to the 10 people who died, four inmates and one corrections officer remain in serious condition.

According to authorities investigating the case, the bus was only equipped with seat belts for the driver and the guards. Its not known yet whether the guards who died in the crash were wearing their seat belts.

Though adult seat belt use is the most effective way to reduce injuries and save lives during traffic accidents, Texas state law only requires them for passenger vehicles, not larger vehicles like buses. Federal law doesn’t even require passenger seat belts in commercial buses like Greyhound and Megabus.

Robert Downs, the president of an unrelated busing company based in Florida, told ABC Crimesider that most prison transport companies he knew of lacked inmate seat belts. He added that when he founded his company in 2006, he tried to introduce seat belts, but inmates would use the metal clasps to try to bend their handcuffs. When the company switched to Velcro, inmates just tore them off.

Authorities believe ice and an earlier crash on the I-20 may have contributed to the accident. They have yet to name the officer who was driving the bus, but each correctional officer had over 15 years of service.

The Union Pacific freight train came to a stop shortly after the accident. No Union Pacific employees were injured and none of the cars derailed. Two containers in the back of the train were damaged, causing hundreds of packages to scatter along the tracks.

Change is coming to bus seat belt regulations, though it didn’t come soon enough for the Texas crash victims. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration ruled last year that all newly manufactured motorcoaches and large buses will need to have seat belts beginning in 2016. Older vehicles won’t be affected right away, but the legislation aims to make bus rides safer for passengers in the future.