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Common Sense Ways to Stay Safe this Spring Break

Common Sense Ways to Stay Safe this Spring Break












Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) March 01, 2012

Did you know that college aged students are at the highest risk for being sexually assaulted? With spring break just around the corner, RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, released helpful safety tips for spring break.

Whether you are headed to the beach or overseas or devoting your spring break to community service, it’s important to keep your safety top of mind. In addition to common sense travel tips like wearing sunscreen and keeping your passport safe, there are some things you can do to reduce the risk and prevent you or a friend from being the victim of sexual assault.

1. Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe in any situation, go with your gut. If you feel uncomfortable or something doesn’t feel right, leave and get to a safe place immediately. If someone is pressuring you, it’s better to lie and make up a reason to leave than to stay and be uncomfortable, scared, or worse.

2. Protect your location on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare etc. Think twice before sharing every detail of your spring break on Facebook and Twitter. Despite security settings, posting information about your whereabouts or activities can still reveal details that are accessible to the public. Use your best judgment when “checking-in” on Facebook or Foursquare and be cautious of revealing personal information through status updates or tweets with Twitter trends like #SpringBreak and #SB2012.

3. Get Local. Know your accommodation address and the safest routes to and from your local destinations. Have the number for local cab companies on hand and always keep enough cash on you to take a taxi home. Know who to contact in the event of an emergency, such as 911 or local authorities. If traveling internationally, have the contact information for the U.S. Embassy with you.

4. Be a good friend and stick together. Arrive together, check in with one another throughout the night, and leave together. Think twice about going off alone; if you have to separate from your friends, let them know where you are going and who you are with. If something seems questionable or someone is acting aggressively, don’t be afraid to intervene. By speaking up, you may help prevent your friend from being the victim (or perpetrator) of a crime.

5. Don’t let your guard down. A spring break destination can create a false sense of security among vacationers. Don’t assume that fellow spring breakers will look out for your best interests; remember they are essentially strangers.

6. Use your cell phone as a tool. If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, shoot a quick text for a “friend-assist.” Make a back-up plan before you go out just in case your phone dies. If you are traveling internationally, buy a pay-as-you-go phone or contact your cell phone provider to activate international coverage during your trip.

7. Drink responsibly and know your limits. Always watch your drink being prepared, and, when possible, buy drinks in bottles. If you lose sight of your drink or believe it might have been tampered with, throw it out and get a new one. If you or a friend seem too intoxicated for the amount of alcohol consumed or you suspect that someone has been drugged, get to a hospital.

In the event of a sexual assault during spring break, seek immediate medical attention. In the U.S., call 911 for emergency help or the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) for advice and support. If you are traveling internationally contact the State Department or the American Embassy in country, to be connected with special services for American victims of crime abroad. You can also register your international trip with the U.S. State Department, to be notified of safety status changes.

Regardless of when the sexual assault occurred, it’s never too late to get help. If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, talk to someone who understands what you’re going through. Help is just a call or click away via RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotlines: 1-800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org

About RAINN

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization and was named one of “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth magazine. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotlines (800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org) in partnership with more than 1,100 local rape crisis centers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. The hotlines have helped more than 1.6 million people since 1994. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. For more information about RAINN, please visit rainn.org.

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Posted on March 4, 2012 by , Reply

Should Information Stay Private? Where’s the Balance?

There are a lot of services online selling personal data. What’s the reason for this? It’s because of the huge demand for these types of services. Let’s suppose you have a new dating partner and want to do a “mini” background check on him. In other words, you need to get some kind of private DATA about that person without him knowing. What’s the best thing to do? Use some of these background check services.

At the other side of this we have the privacy industry. If you asked those guys, they would make EVERYTHING private, including your full name. Of course, common sense suggests that taking such an extreme direction is never a good thing.

There’s a third side I support. I call them the ‘balance side’. Those are the people who try to establish a good balance on what kind of information should and should not be available online.

Ever heard about the Freedom of Information Act? This act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson back in 1966. So, what is the FOIA (or Freedom of Information Act) all about? The United States government is required to disclose a particular type of information for the public to see. Before the FOIA, they would keep private any information they wanted. Now they must be transparent and provide information, including but not limited to criminal, court, marriage records and so on.

Now, not every type of record is available for every state. Take Oregon for example, they are currently not giving you full access to divorce and marriage records. But Alaska, compared to Oregon, provides you with 100% free access to these types of records.

Information, by itself, is harmless. The issue is actually whether or not the particular individual owning that information is going to use it for bad or good purpose. The exact same can be applied with the accessibility of personal information on the web. Stalkers can use private data to take advantage of someone. People who haven’t seen a long-lost friend will probably use this information for locating that friend! Maybe the main question is instead: How do we make sure private data doesn’t go into the wrong hands? After all, we can’t possibly read the mind of the person who accesses private data. The current, best solution is this:

Require all individuals who access the private data to identify themselves. This is already being done by governments an companies people use for conducting individual background checks.

As you can see, we are (after all) pragmatic creatures. Most of us don’t go to extremes like some people who say they “care about privacy”. Or folks that would prefer all personal information to be 100% free without having the consequences in mind.

The conclusion: Don’t be surprised when someone asks you to give out your private data in order to access someone else’s private information.

Want to find more information on searching for a particular person/group of people? In that case, I have an excellent resource to help you get started. Check out this free people search article that explores some of the best online people search engines.

Article from articlesbase.com

Related Freedom Of Information Articles

Posted on May 6, 2011 by , Reply

Should You Stay or Go? Bills.com’s Tips Let Workers Compare New Job to Old Career

San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) August 1, 2007

With U.S. unemployment fairly low at a level of 4.5 percent in recent months, companies must compete for good workers — and Bills.com co-founder and co-CEO Andrew Housser offers workers a seven-point checklist to compare a job offer with their current position.

“If you are looking to upgrade your career, and have one or more opportunities, compare pay and benefits from each,” Housser advised. “Ask each employer — current and prospective — for a complete, itemized list of salary and benefits for which you are or will be eligible. Then, create a list with two columns, one for each job. Mark the monthly or annual total for each of the following elements of compensation in each category. Then add them up to calculate the best financial offer.”

1. Salary. “Salary is obvious: More is better,” Housser said. Consider how much financial stability you require, and carefully investigate positions that require a move from salary to commission. Before taking a commission-based position, be confident that income levels will maintain your financial footing. Profit sharing and bonuses are not a guaranteed part of compensation. And vesting requirements might demand loyalty to reap benefits.

2. Retirement. In the long run, retirement benefits can make a huge difference to financial well-being. Does the company have a pension plan? Does the employer match 401(k) plan contributions, and to what extent? Consider any contributions by current and prospective employers to calculate total income.

3. Health care. Does the employer pay employees’ health care premiums? If so, add the contributions to gross compensation. “Also, check into the type of plan offered,” Housser suggested. “Some small employers now pay for employees to purchase individual coverage. For most, this is fine. But be aware that if you have a covered family member with a pre-existing medical condition, it might be difficult, expensive or impossible to locate new individual coverage. If that is the case, be very cautious before changing employers.”

4. Vision and dental insurance. Not all employers offer these coverages. Compute the amount you spend each year minus the amount of coverage. For anticipated expenses like a child’s braces or dental surgery, call the insurer to determine coverage of those items.

5. Cafeteria plan. Also called a qualified benefit plan, this plan allows employees to save pre-tax money for certain benefits, such as dental, vision, life and disability insurance, health care, adoption assistance and other benefits. Multiply the anticipated savings by the income tax bracket to make a broad guess at savings. Find your tax bracket at http://301url.com/bbd.

6. Time off. Add vacation time, personal days and holidays. Divide days off by 261 (the number of working days in 2007) and multiply the figure by annual salary to determine the value of time off at each job.

7. Gut check. “Do not discount the value of your instinct, and remember that finances alone do not constitute the right position,” Housser said. “If the job is a dream job or an amazing stepping-stone to future opportunities, it might be a good move even if won’t improve your financial standards tremendously today.”

“Once your list is complete, you can make a decision — not to mention be prepared to negotiate if your employer makes a counteroffer,” Housser said. “Whatever you decide, you can be confident about your choice if you know you’ve considered the full package before making a move.”

Based in San Mateo, Calif., Bills.com is a free one-stop online portal where consumers can educate themselves about complex personal finance issues and comparison shop for products and services including credit cards, debt relief assistance, insurance, mortgages and other loans. The company blogs about consumer finance issues at http://www.bills.com/blog. Since 2002, Bills.com and its partner company, Freedom Financial Network, have served more than 15,000 customers nationwide while managing more than $ 350 million in consumer debt. The company’s co-founders and CEOs, Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh, were named Northern California finalists in Ernst & Young’s 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

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Related Income Tax Vs Freedom Press Releases

Posted on December 29, 2010 by , Reply

Would illegal immigrants stay a “cheaper, faster, and stronger work force…” if given amnesty?

Would illegal immigrants stay a “cheaper, faster, and stronger work force…” if given amnesty?

Someone said they were ‘pro-illegals’ because they are a “cheaper, faster, and stronger work force”. But if you check back in history when slaves were not considered citizens they worked their butts off because it was survival(you don’t work, they kill you). They were given freedom and citizenship and now you can’t get half of them to keep a job.

History repeats itself… Wouldn’t the same thing happen to the illegal immigrants?

Posted on October 24, 2010 by , 13 comments

Should Religion Stay in the Pledge?

Can you still remember all of the words to the Pledge of Allegiance? Most of us recited the pledge every single school day from Kindergarten all the way through the sixth grade. Some junior high and high schools also required a daily flag salute and the recitation. This being the case, can you remember all of the words? Can you still rattle it off without thinking like most of us could do by the middle of our kindergarten year?

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” Hey! I can do it!

It’s funny how those two little worlds “under God” have caused such a ruckus. Many people insist that our country was founded on the idea of the freedom of religion. Others insist that forcing children to recite the words “under god” is forcing a single religion down school children’s throats—a religion that might not be taught or encouraged at home.

A few years ago a Congressperson caused quite a stir when he recited the entire pledge—without the words “under God.” Suddenly people were screaming that he wasn’t patriotic at all.

What do you think? Do you think that religion should play a part in our politics, or should the two be kept completely separate? Would it surprise you to learn that the original pledge did not contain religion at all? It was added in the 1950s as homage to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The Washington Post’s website has published an article that claims it is time to take the phrase back out of the pledge.

When the phrase was added to the pledge, the primary religion in the United States was one of the Protestant Sects and only five percent of the population did not claim any single religion. Today the United States has a much larger variety of religions within its borders. Today, there are people who claim Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Muslim and Wicca (among a few others) as well as those who claim traditional Christian and Jewish sects as their religions.

The Washington post agues that “under god” and religion be stricken from the pledge because the greatest threat to the United States is not those who are “godless” but those who are “fundamentalist” in their religion—willing to harm or kill anyone who does not subscribe to their exact belief system. The Post argues that our beliefs about religion are not what set us apart from other nations, but that our tolerance of each religion is what makes us unique.

What do you think about the topic? Do you think that the pledge should acknowledge religion and, if so, how should that acknowledgement of religion happen? Not everyone is of a monotheistic faith. How do you incorporate each religion without the pledge taking five or six hours to recite?

For more information on religion, visit http://www.religionmicroblog.com and http://www.jewishmicroblog.com.

Posted on June 6, 2010 by , Reply