Holiday Safety Tips

As the holidays get closer, people begin decorating their homes and yards to celebrate the season. However, a festive celebration can quickly turn into a tragedy in the event of an accident. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that almost 11,000 people are treated in emergency rooms annually for holiday-related injuries such as falls or electrical shocks from hanging holiday lights. In addition, about 400 fires involving Christmas trees occur each year, resulting in 70 injuries, 20 deaths, and over $15 million in property damages.

Although holiday decorations can be beautiful and meaningful additions to festivities and celebrations, everyone should exercise caution to make sure that holiday traditions do not result in accidents. To keep your holidays safe this season, follow these safety precautions to avoid fires, electrical shocks, falls, and other injuries:

• Never use lights that have not been tested by a recognized testing laboratory.
• Only use lights with fused plugs.
• Always check lights, both new sets and old sets, for broken sockets, frayed wires, or loose connections. Throw away damaged light sets. Replace bulbs with others of the same wattage.
• When decorating outdoors, only use lights certified for outdoor use.
• Never use nails or tacks to hold strings of lights in place outdoors. Only use hooks or insulated staples.
• Never leave lights on when you leave the house. They could short and cause a fire.
• Never burn wrapping paper in a fireplace. A large fire can result quickly from burning paper.
• Plug outdoor electric decorations and lights into circuit protected with ground fault circuit interrupters.
• Look for fire-resistant artificial holiday trees. Although these trees can still catch fire, the tree can resist burning and extinguish quickly.
• Only purchase a live tree or evergreen decoration that is fresh, with needles that do not easily fall from the tree. Trees that are brittle are drier overall and thus much more likely to catch fire.
• Keep your tree watered and keep it away from fireplaces and radiators, as well as out of doorways.
• Only use non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to decorate your tree.
• Never use lighted candles near or on a tree or other plants.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. A person can be electrocuted from the tree if it becomes electrically charged from faulty lights.

Keep yourself and your family safe this holiday season by following these safety tips and using common sense during your celebrations. For more safety tips and for legal information about accidents, visit the website of New York City personal injury lawyers Orlow, Orlow & Orlow, P.C.

Joseph Devine Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Devine

Thanksgiving-A Time for Family, Friends and Reflection

Thanksgiving is almost here and we need to slow down and think about what the celebration is really about. This is a time for us to get together with our families and friends; take a moment and reflect upon all our blessings and how fortunate we are to have everything that we have.

Too many of us think that Thanksgiving is just another day for a legal holiday so we can take off from work. It is just a day to watch football and kick back and have a big dinner.

A huge segment of our population has really lost focus about the meaning of Thanksgiving.

We forget that when our country was younger and most of the population made their living from farming this was the end of the harvesting season. Farmers and everybody would give thanks for the abundance that was given to us. This has changed into just being a time to be thankful for what we have.

Now it seems that the season has deteriorated to the kickoff of the shopping season before Christmas. We need to retake Thanksgiving Day and remember all the blessings that we have and why we should really be thankful.

Take the time to decorate your home and plan to really celebrate the day with all your friends and family. We are fortunate because all the colors that are tied to the season are really beautiful. Do whatever is necessary to get the family into the mood and to understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

Remember that the most valuable things you have are free. Never forget that your health, your family and the love given does not have a price tag. Yet most of the time we forget how thankful we should be.

Visit our website at http://www.jwholiday.com/Thanksgiving.html. We have loads of ideas for your Thanksgiving celebration. You can find some free recipes and free screen savers for your PC.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wiley_Seer

The Importance of Renter's Insurance

Apartment insurance, more commonly known as renter’s insurance, protects you against loss and damage to your personal belongings when you rent a house or apartment.

Many renters make the mistake of assuming that any damages will be covered by their landlord’s insurance when, in actuality, the landlord’s insurance will only cover damage to the structure of the building. It’s up to you to protect your items from damage or loss.

This is where apartment or renter’s insurance comes in.

What It Covers

Renter’s insurance protects you from the following catastrophes:

Fire and smoke

Theft and vandalism

Flood and water damage (from appliances, for example)

Wind, lightning and windstorm

Your renter’s policy would cover damages to items like:

Computers, TVs and other electronics

Furniture

Clothing

Antiques or vintage items

Household items and personal appliances

In addition to covering your personal belongings, renter’s policies also cover your liability if someone is injured in your home and decides to sue. Furthermore, most renters’ policies cover your living expenses if you’re temporarily unable to live in your home because of a catastrophe.

Most renters are also pleasantly surprised to learn that this coverage is very affordable. Because the policy only covers the contents of your home—and not the structure of the building—you may spend as little as $160 per year on renter’s insurance, depending on what policy you buy.

Needless to say, the “package deal” protection and affordable cost of renter’s policies make them more than worth it.

Shopping tip: Buy your renter’s policy with your auto coverage and receive a discount!

Types of Policies

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), there are two types of renter’s policies:

(1)   Actual Cash Value: Pays to replace your items minus a deduction for depreciation, up to your policy amount.

This means if you bought your laptop two years ago for $1,000, the insurer will only reimburse you for its worth at the time of damage—which could be a several hundred dollar difference

(2)    Replacement Cost: Pays the actual cost of your possessions with no deduction for depreciation, up to your policy amount.

This means no matter when you bought your laptop, you’ll be reimbursed for the amount you paid for it.

Because replacement cost policies don’t deduct for depreciation, they are most recommended by insurance experts.

This article was written by InsureMe.com personnel for informational purposes only and not intended as professional advice.

Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs

The single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits like covering your cough and washing your hands often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like the flu. There also are flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat and prevent the flu.

Avoid close contact.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick.

If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

Clean your hands.

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits.

Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.