Hawaii Violence Prevention

Everybody’s heard about social drinking. There is a population out there that advocates having an alcoholic drink or two in social gatherings to maintain that perfect balance. If trends are anything to go by, social smoking could soon be a common phenomenon. As the term implies, social smokers light up only occasionally in a gathering or an event.

The reasoning is that a few cigarettes a week are definitely less harmful than a whole pack or packs every day. While this may seem consistent, there are many compelling reasons why social smoking cannot be dismissed as another harmless practice. The first reason is that the definition of social smoking is subject to a whole range of interpretations; it could mean one cigarette or several packs at one go.

The possibility of social smoking developing into a full-blown habit cannot be ruled out either. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s estimated that 46 million Americans smoke and 70% of them want to stop. Moreover, the human body is not built for smoking tobacco, period. Even one cigarette leaves an imprint on body chemistry and arterial walls. Occasional smoking may not put your chances of getting cancer on par with a serious smoker, but it will definitely be higher than a non-smoker’s.

A worrying fact is that most social smokers are young, and are the targets of marketing campaigns by tobacco companies who don’t want to lose out on this segment. The Anti-Tobacco Bill aims to protect this vulnerable chunk of the population from such campaigns that can increase tobacco usage.

Electronic cigarettes are a good choice if you’re not ready to kick the habit just yet. Apart from being available in a variety of flavors, it also offers the benefits of being tar free. The nicotine is still there though but if you want to retain your social smoker status, an electronic cigarette is a step in the safer direction.

Just about everybody at one time or another has enjoyed eating their favorite greasy hamburger and fries, or slurped on an extra-thick shake to top it all off. This indulgence may be an occasional pleasure for some, or a daily plate for others. While it may have been really good going down, they may later regret that special moment when they find that the extra pounds are hard to take off.

The saying that “you are what you eat” holds true for people in many cases, since whatever we eat or drink is manifested in our skin, hair and bodies overall. Our diet, whether it’s fast-food, high-fat, home-cooked, vegetarian or a little of it all will show up in our state of health and be a positive or negative issue that we have to deal with.

Diets that are high in fat and sugar tend to slow our bodies down since it takes more energy for our bodies to digest these things. These types of diets also tend to cause our bodies to hold on to the fat content in the foods and be very stubborn at releasing them from our bodies.

Diets that are low in fat and higher in proteins and vegetables quickly reward the body with renewed energy and a brighter, clearer skin complexion. This is why people who are on a diet to lose weight are encouraged to eat more vegetables and drink more water to essentially “flush” the toxins from their bodies.

By incorporating healthy habits into your lifestyle, you can develop routines that lean towards good eating and living and that will show up in your physical health. Although it won’t be a magical, with some consistency, it can become a routine part of your life. In time, you’ll certainly be glad that you passed up that burger-and-fry temptation in favor of good, hearty vegetables!

It’s no secret that life is full of unexpected surprises, with many of those surprises being financial. From auto troubles to unforeseen medical issues, many instances arise that require a dire need of additional money. Luckily, people do have an option in the form of a cash advance. These monetary agreements are quick, easy to attain and come in different forms–Payday Loans being the most popular. To avoid current and future dilemmas, there are many smart reasons for a cash advance.

In financial binds a general sacrifice people make is paying bills late. This ultimately results in costing a person even more money in the forms of late fees and bank fees from overdrafts and bounced checks. If credit cards or loan payments are paid late, it will adversely affect a person’s credit rating and lead to even more trouble. In these instances a cash advance is a smart way to save money on fees and to avoid a path toward poor credit.

Two unanticipated situations that tend to cost a lot of money to resolve are medical afflictions and car troubles. These two instances are similar in that they require urgent fixes and can end up resulting in a loss of income, or even a job. When a person is sick, they cannot work until they have fully healed, requiring medical care to get them back on their feet quickly. However, with that care also comes medical costs.

Lastly, many people use a vehicle to travel to and from work, or even use their car for their job. Without it, a person is stuck home missing needed hours. In addition, auto repairs are expensive. If a person is away from their job for a long period, they will most likely end up being replaced. A cash advance is a smart option to keep a person on the job.

We’ve all experienced the uncomfortable episodes in traffic where we’ve cut someone off in traffic or we’ve been cut off by them while we’re all trying to get to our destinations. The person involved may give you a cross look or even mouth some things to you that will make you cover your child’s eyes. The passion and emotion in a traffic situation such as this can escalate into what is called “road rage” and can quickly get out of control. Many people have suffered physical injuries, emotional injuries and some situations have even been fatal over things like this. Road rage is a very scary scene that is very discouraging to relive in your mind over and over if you’ve ever been involved in one.

Authorities take road rage quite seriously, especially since incidences seem to escalate out of control at alarming rates. Their goal is to try and educate the public on the dangers of road rage and the unfortunate mishaps that certain actions can cause. However, there are some things that the public can do as well that can help discourage this growing problem and bring down the number of unfortunate and unnecessary incidences.

- Drive offensively. Being defensive while driving means to cut others off, jump ahead of them and not allowing them to pass you. Allow other cars to get in front of you if necessary. Don’t always think that you have to drive fast and not let anyone pass you.

- Slow down. Drive carefully and slowly without being hurried. This reduces chances of having accidents and causing other delays.

- Leave early. Give yourself enough time to reach your destination without feeling rushed.

By using solid thinking measures and practical applications to awkward situations, you can avoid being a victim of and even an instigator of the unfortunate event of road rage.

Making a citizen’s arrest is much like “The Andy Griffith Show where Barney would arrest law-breakers and put them in jail. Although Barney was an officer of the law, it was quite comical how he would arrest the people of the town and throw them in jail for sometimes no good reasons. The first thing that Barney would do however, would be to warn the person that he was about to arrest him and they had better get ready!

However, in today’s time, making a citizen’s arrest is slightly different than what it was in Deputy Fife’s day. Although regular citizens can and do make citizen’s arrests, the cause for such a thing cannot be trivial as it once was, and needs to be taken as a serious matter that can carry serious consequences.
A couple of things to keep in mind for a person who decides to act in that capacity should include:

- Having a thorough working knowledge of the general letter of the law. They should at least be clear on what constitutes breaking a law and what is considered a misdemeanor.

- Know the contact information for the local area so that they contact the police immediately. After making the citizen’s arrest, they need to be able to get in touch with the police department right away.

When there is a citizen’s arrest made, the person who does the arresting acts as a law enforcement official in the absent of such an authority and is able to cite and/or make references to the law that the offender is breaking. Also, the person who is making the arrest does not necessarily have to be a citizen of the jurisdiction of the area where the arrest is taking place. Just as long as there is a law being broken and there is someone who catches it, they are able to enforce the governing laws from a citizen’s perspective.

If you’re thinking about buying a home but plan on putting less than 20 percent down, you may be required to purchase private mortgage insurance (PMI). The banks use PMI as a safeguard in cases where homeowners default on their loan. Should you default on your mortgage, the bank has recourse through the insurance company to get its money back.

Whether you purchase an old or new home, you’ll need to assess the value of the home. To assess a home’s value, banks typically hire an appraiser to ensure that they lend a comparable amount of money for what the home is actually worth.

Let’s say, for example, that you plan to purchase a home for $200,000. The bank sends out an appraiser to the home, and determines the home is actually worth the $200,000, which is the asking price from the seller. As the buyer, you have $20,000 (or 10 percent) for a down payment on the home. In order to avoid paying the PMI, you would need to put $40,000 down on the home (or 20 percent). In this case, the Loan to Value Ratio (LTV) is 90. You’ll also need additional money for closing fees.

The following steps also explain how to calculate a monthly PMI payment without the use of a Pmi mortgage calculator:

1. For the above example, let’s assume that the PMI is a half percent, or .005 (PMI rates vary from lender to lender).

2. Multiply the loan amount by the PMI rate as follows:

Loan Amount x PMI Rate = Yearly PMI Payment

or

$180,000 x .005 = $900

Divide the yearly PMI payment by 12 to determine the monthly payment.

$900 / 12 = $75

In the example, the monthly PMI payment is $75

A Pmi mortgage calculator can also be used to determine your monthly PMI payment. Many of them are available on the Internet.

While you’re out having fun and drinking alcohol remember to be smart about it. If you consume too much alcohol, you can lose control and end up wrecking not only your night, but most likely all the people’s nights around you as well! Additionally, you could also find yourself in a bad situation you wouldn’t normally be in if you weren’t intoxicated. There are ways to drink safely and tips you can use to protect both your body and your mind and be smart!

To calculate the amount of alcohol a person consumes, the quantity is measured in units. Some examples of drinks and how many units they are as follows: a small 125 ml glass of wine, a half pint of beer or a single measure of rum, whisky, gin or vodka is equal to 1.5 units of alcohol.

So, now you might be asking yourself how many units of alcohol is considered to be the recommended amount then in order to practice safe drinking while having a fun night out? Actually, it’s interesting to find out that there are different recommendations depending on your gender for what is considered acceptable amounts. A male’s body makeup has 66 percent fluid while in comparison with a female’s body that only has 55 percent which means that the alcohol will be more diluted in a male than in a female. Therefore, if a man and woman consume the same amount of alcohol, the woman will typically get drunk a lot faster than the man would. And that’s something all women should have knowledge of and be careful about.

As a general rule, health experts have determined that men should drink no more than 3 – 4 units during a 24 hr period. For an example of what that equals, a guy shouldn’t consume more than three glasses of wine or two pints of beer per day. For women, it has been determined that they shouldn’t have more than 2 – 3 units for a day  which means not more than one pint of beer or 2 glasses of wine per day.

When travelling to a new destination, you’re looking to have a good time, not extra worry or problems to come your way. You want to take in the sights, food and entertainment the area has to offer. There are certain things you should know and think about before going on your trip in order to make yourself more street smart and as result your visit safer, especially if you are traveling alone.

First of all, avoid looking like a tourist a much as possible. Don’t walk around with a map looking lost. Study the map before going out and when on the street, use a small guidebook for direction instead. Ask the concierge at your hotel to recommend any areas to steer clear of or avoid. Additionally, dress yourself down when going out and don’t wear flashy jewelry or watches that attract attention. Thieves are looking for an easy target and you don’t want to be that target. If you need help with directions, look for a family or mother with children to ask.

Another tip is to be extra cautious when getting on/off of a subway, train, bus or escalator because pickpockets hit people here the most. Keep your purse (or other valuables) away from the street side when walking and when riding an escalator, keep it away from the opposite side so it isn’t easy for someone to grab and take off with. Don’t carry all your credit cards and IDs with you constantly. Take one credit card with you and photocopies of any important documents, not the originals. Be careful with your money. Don’t ever take out a bid wad of bills when you’re purchasing something. Have the bills divided up so you don’t expose it all at once. Also, have tips ready for doormen or porters beforehand so you don’t have to go digging around in your wallet. If you are ever attacked, make as much noise as possible  run, fight and yell loudly!

With a little knowledge and extra precaution you can have more street smarts and be a safer during your travels.

Women today need to be very cautious and careful about the things they do and the places they go. Unfortunately, women make a lot of mistakes when coming face to face with an attacker that can put them more at risk of becoming kidnapped, assaulted, raped and/or even killed. By knowing what some of these mistakes are you can become more educated and in turn reduce your risk of being a victim.

First thing to remember is don’t ever get into an attacker’s car. Even if he pulls out a gun and orders you to, don’t comply. Most attackers don’t intend to shoot you and odds are that they won’t. They only want to take you to a second location that is secluded or deserted so they can attack you, most likely sexually. So don’t let them get you to that second location. Do whatever you – hit, kick, scream, run and cause as much noise and attention as you possibly can to yourself. Chances are that they will just take off and try for an easier target. Make sure to report your experience and give a description of the man to the police so that they can be on the lookout for the perpetrator because he most likely will try attacking some another woman.

Secondly, make sure to drive with your car doors locked. This may sound extreme, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Many times an attacker has been able to simply jump into a woman’s car while they’re stopped at a stop light with a weapon and shouting demands all because he could do so easily. Don’t give them that chance. Simply lock your doors when driving – it could save your life.

Lastly, never pull over if a man drives up beside your car and points like something is wrong. Instead, drive to the nearest gas station or car repair place and look over your car yourself or ask someone working there to look at it. Unfortunately many women have fallen for this trick and found themselves in trouble because of it.

Everyone wants to protect themselves from becoming a victim. It’s important to think about what to do in situations that may arise to see if you’re as cautious and aware as you should be in order to guard against those that may be out to hurt you.

One common mistake made is that people are far too trusting of strangers. This is especially true if the person is clean cut and nice looking. Unfortunately, there are mug shots taken of criminals all the time that look like every day ordinary people. Most often the criminals don’t look scary or questionable at all. Like the old saying goes, you can’t really judge a book by its cover. This is an especially true here.

Be more cautious and aware when you come in contact with someone you don’t know. If a stranger knocks on your front door and you open it up, it can provide them easy access inside your home which is a fairly soundproof and secluded place where they can rob or attack you. If you don’t already have a peep hole in your front door, get one put in. Don’t give an attacker the chance to get in. Keep your doors locked when not in use and positively identify anyone before you open your door to them. You may come across as being paranoid, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Also, be more alert when in a parking lot. At night many grocery stores offer escorts to take you to your car and you should use this service when available. Far too many women have been raped or taken from parking lot areas. Be aware of your surroundings and keep your head up and look around in all different directions. Don’t walk with you head down while you search through you purse. Also, always check the back seat of your car before you get in. There are many hiding places for attackers both inside and outside of your car.

Having more awareness and precaution when dealing with strangers will help you better protect you from becoming a victim.