A Business Interruption Doesn't Have to Be a Disaster

Year in and year out, businesses in hurricane or stormy regions face the same risks of property damage and loss. This type of threat marks a good time to update a company's business continuity plan and business insurance. After all, one would like to have their business go uninterrupted if at all possible.

Here are just a few things to consider during those times of year when business interruption might take place.

Update Critical Business Functions

Implement a program that includes forms that can help to prioritize which business functions are most critical for continuing operations during an emergency situation.

Critical business functions can change from year to year. Review any existing disaster plan to account for any changes (such as the addition of new business systems, products and employees).

Verify Employee Contact Information

One of the most important components of any business is accurate contact information. This is even more critical in an emergency situation. Knowing how to reach employees, as well as vendors, is a vital part of helping the business to quickly recover from a disaster.

On an annual basis, send a memo asking employees to update their contact information. This will help to check on their current status and aid in the next steps for resuming normal business operations.

Updating supplier and vendor contact information, as well as other important contacts such as bank or insurance carriers will also aid in a speedy recovery. Make sure that business insurance is adequate and also meets current needs in the face of such disaster.

Disaster Preparedness Checklist

Three important things to consider during a crisis:

How much downtime can this business endure without a significant financial impact? Which functions are necessary in order to fulfill both legal and regulatory obligations? What business functions are essential for maintaining market share and reputation?

Ways in which to deal with these issues:

Be sure to prioritize each function (high, medium or low) and determine who among the staff is most capable to perform the necessary tasks. Record detailed notes outlining the steps that should be taken in common disaster scenarios, such as: Power outages Damage to equipment Natural disasters Work with employees so that they fully understand the procedures for recovering the critical business functions. Name an alternate employee to take charge should the primary employee be unavailable to perform the function.

Advance planning will help everyone to recognize his or her responsibilities.

Prepare A Recovery Location

If plans include the use of a recovery location (which is an alternative site for business operations), take time to review employee and business needs to be certain the location is quite adequate.

Be sure the location is equipped with any special supplies or equipment that will be necessary to continue business operations. It is also a good idea to contact the recovery location provider before the season starts to review plans and ensure that requirements are current and specific.

Having a good plan, and also the business insurance needed to get things "back on track" is essential to any solid business plan.

Chlorine Gas Tanks at Sewer Plants Need Upgrades to Protect From International Terrorism

Many sewer treatment plants have huge chlorine Tanks on their properties. These tanks contain large amounts of Chlorine Gas. These tanks should have barriers around them to prevent a truck from driving into them, as series of ditches and berms as part of the landscape is a good start. But also double walled tanks like on Oil Tanker ships.

Should we add protective coatings, which contain chemical membranes which can attach the escaping gas between the walls. So an explosive device would cause the membrane to heat up and other gases could combine with the Chlorine Gas to prevent problems. Many POTWs do not use much Chlorine Gas which means that such huge tanks are not on the property. A huge Earthquake or attack could cause the escaping gas to flow with the relative winds into populated areas. We need these upgrades. As we know that International Terrorists like to use the infrastructure against us.

Normally the inlets and valves have automatic shut offs and warnings alarm to protect workers to get out of the way, but trying to get a whole city to evacuate quickly may not be possible.

We should continue to improve our infrastructures to be mother nature proof and nearly impossible to be used against us in the event of an International Attack.

A lot has been done to make these things fool proof, perhaps we might raise the bar a couple of more levels. The wonderful work of our engineers and the upgrades made to these facilities has propelled the United States to have some of the cleanest water ways in the world. We have prevented diseases, helped wildlife and are so cutting edge, we ought to be proud. Now there is an elevated threat, so we need to pay attention and continue to innovate. Perhaps the Chlorine Gas can be replaced with other means as we upgrade the facilities as needed. We need to pay attention to new technologies in the Publically Owned Treatment Works Industry.

The Industry has done so much and many facilities are International Terrorist proof thus eliminating them from contention, but not all are. We might wish to expedite these upgrades as needed.

Things You Should Know About Pop Art Paintings History

Pop art was an artistic movement that represented a strong shift from the influence of the abstract expressionism. Pop art paintings brought an original form of making art by introducing techniques of commercial art and everyday life illustrations.

This movement first occurred in Great Britain in the late 1950s and it was meant to be a redefinition of the metaphysical gravity of the abstract expressionism. Pop art paintings were mainly characterized by the insertion of everyday life images of soup cans, comic strips, Coke bottles or even stuffed animals into the artistic expression. The expressed aim of the pop art paintings was to provide a meeting point for artists and public. Inserting commercial art symbols in their work, the artists intended to blur the boundaries between art and common people in order to make art ideas accessible for everyone.

The birth of this art movement during the 1950s-1960s wasn't a coincidence. Artists were getting tired of the inwardness and opacity of the abstract expressionism; the American society (and the British one, but on a less extent) was enjoying deep changes in terms of economic revival after the constraints of the Second World War. Therefore, the artist community mocked the shallowness and the materialism of the Americans, employing symbols of mass culture (Coke cans, magazines or comic strips) in their pop art paintings.

The artists who had embraced this art style used different symbols: American flags (Jasper Johns), comic strips (Roy Lichtenstein) and soup cans (Andy Warhol) or stuffed animals (Robert Rauschenberg).

Pop art paintings also represented icons of the artists' reaction against the dullness and complexity of the abstract expressionism. Abstract techniques were replaced with more accessible ones like humor or surface appearance. The central idea of this art movement was to express messages to the mass by transforming the ordinary things into art objects.

Although the pop art stream was very popular among the layman public, it was highly controversial among the art critics community. Some considered pop art paintings as cheap, tacky imitations of everyday life symbols; others regarded them as icons of the shallow American society at mid-century.

Nevertheless, this art movement represented a breath of vivid, fresh air in an art characterized until then by opacity and seriousness.

The Maremma: Alpine Sheep Herder

The Maremma Sheepdog is native to the Italian Alps. This is a breed that has an extraordinary capability of working in the higher altitudes. For many hundreds of years, the life of the sheep, the shepherds and the Maremma dog that guarded the flock was structured on the seasons. From June to October the flocks would be moved to the high country in the mountains of Abruzzi and from October to June they would go down to the plains and rolling pastures of Maremma. The job of the Maremma historically has been that of a livestock protector and herding dog, being of great value to the Italian peasants as they moved their flocks of mountain goats and sheep through the high alpine pastures, not only herding but also protecting the flock from predators. The Maremma has the capability of working independently as a flock protector and is noted for its high intelligence. A few of the dogs stayed behind as farm protectors and gradually the Maremma also became known as the large white dog who frequented the fine homes of Tuscany as a companion and watchdog.

The Maremma is a large white dog with profuse and abundant coat. One might confuse the dog with the Pyrenees or the Kuvasz, excerpt that the head of the Maremma is much larger in proportion to the body and in fact is very like that of the Polar bear, conical in shape and massive. In general, of the large white dogs that are the herding dogs of central Europe and the Alps, the Maremma is probably the breed that exhibits the most independent thinking and is one of the dogs considered to be a very protective dog, working in the dual role as flock guard and herder. The Maremma is a large breed, standing 24 inches at the withers, with a heavy coat that is all white with perhaps a shade of ivory or biscuit on the ears. The coat needs to be regularly groomed. The correct coat should be weather resistant, providing protection from the sun and the cold, this is a dog that should not be shaved.

The Maremma has always been around people, though its existence has been solitary it is a breed that will not do well without a human to protect or work alongside. This is a dog that strives to work for its master but also can be a difficult dog for simple obedience commands, since it is a "thinker" and will become bored with repetition. They are extremely loyal, considered to be a one person dog, devoted and protective yet proud and dignified. This is a dog that requires a knowledgeable owner, since it is not inclined to be subservient but is more likely to be somewhat stubborn and strong willed.

Review: Profit From The Author Inside You

I've reviewed a number of eBooks recently, and none of them excited me, but this one definitely did. If you've ever had the slightest desire to write a 'How To' book, I urge you to read 'Profit From The Author Inside You'.

It's worth pointing out right at the start that Roger Parker does know what he's talking about - he has written 24 books that have been translated into 37 languages and there are currently over 1.6 million copies of his books in print.

This book assumes that you offer some kind of professional service. Roger Parker argues that writing a 'How To' book is not an end in itself, but a means of positioning yourself as one of the leading experts in your field. As Roger Parker shows, books possess "magical" powers - writing a book opens the doors to speaking engagements, spinoff books, newsletters, columns, and hefty consulting fees.

I once knew a human resources expert in Australia and he was very good at what he did. But he used to complain bitterly that there were people with half his expertise earning 20 times the amount he was. Why? Because they had written a book!

If you've always thought of writing as a painful process that requires a huge creative effort, you may be in for a pleasant shock.

Roger Parker shows that most successful (i.e. top-selling) 'How To' books are based on a formula - they are written in a 'paint by numbers' fashion.

The most exciting part of this book for me is a technique that Roger Parker calls 'Painless Writing'.

He urges you to throw out of the window two very common (and unsuccessful) approaches to writing a book: Marathon Writing ("Getting away from it all" and dropping all other activities while you work on your book) and Linear Writing (trying to write your book from first to last chapter in an ordered sequence).

Instead, he offers three approaches that will change the way you write and make it much easier and much more fun:

(1) Molecular writing - this is a way of 'chunking down' to the level of bite-sized pieces of information: "harvesting individual ideas, or nuggets of information, which you carefully organize and prioritize before beginning writing".

(2) Measurable progress writing - "committing to write a little each day, building time into your daily schedule (as opposed to escaping to a cabin in the woods)".

(3) Non-sequential writing - "jumping into your project wherever you're comfortable, starting with the easiest ideas, and building your confidence point by point, idea by idea, wherever they appear in your book".

Another part of this book that is essential reading if you're thinking of writing a book is Chapter Four - '10 Characteristics of Successful Titles'. Did you know that at least half of your book's success will be determined by the title you choose?

Roger Parker shows you 10 key concepts that make the difference between a title that sells well and one that flops. (Here's a hint: the following titles all use these 10 key concepts: Chicken Soup For The Soul; Rich Dad, Poor Dad; The Millionaire Next Door; The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; Think and Grow Rich; How to Win Friends and Influence People).

The book also contains 4 work sheets (pages 99 to 120) that guide you through the writing of your book.

'Profit From The Author Inside You' set of explosions in my head on virtually every page. In fact, it fired me up so much that I'm now using Roger Parker's techniques to write a book that I've been trying to write for over 5 years. What more can I say?

You can get your copy of 'Profit From The Author Inside You' at: http://www.freezineweb.com/cgi-bin/pftaiy.cgi It has a 30 day money back guarantee, so you really can't go wrong.

Benefits of Workers Compensation in California

Workers Compensation in California is a division that has been designed to help employees and families when an illness, injury or even death occurs while on the job. If you are ever the victim of such an awful accident - such as slipping and hurting your back or health issues that sparked when you started a job due to various chemicals used on-site or loss of hearing due to loud noises on the job - then you may very well be eligible for benefits under the workers compensation program in California.

Basically, there are five primary benefits related to workers compensation in California, all of which are briefly outlined below:

1. Medical - This pertains to any medical care that is necessary in order for you to relieve yourself or cure yourself from the injury effects. Apart from medical expenses themselves, this also includes 50 cents for every mile that is travelled to and from the doctor. Please note: 50 cents is based on 2010 information. Rates are subject to change at any time.

2. Temporary Disability - If you are hospitalized or have to miss over three days of work then you should be eligible to receive temporary disability benefits. Temporary disability is determined by your current average weekly income and is two-thirds of your general paycheck. Checks are generally received bi-weekly and you will stop receiving the checks when you are released to go back to work. In 2010, the minimum benefit was $148.00 and the maximum payout was $986.69.

3. Permanent Disability - These benefits are more complex and are determined based on your injury date, disability rating, and previously earned wages. Usually, weekly payments range from $190 to $270 and are started after temporary benefits once you have been diagnosed with a permanent disability from your doctor.

4. Supplemental Job Displacement - Workers compensation in California allows for an individual injured on the job to attend training, or prep, school. The amount received for such depends on the intensity of disability with $10,000 being the maximum received, 10 percent of which may be used for the help of a counselor.

5. Death - If there is a job-related death, individuals that rely on the support of the income from the recently departed employee may be entitled to receive death benefits - benefits of which can be obtained even if the fatality occurred off-site as long as the cause of the death was indeed relevant to the job-related injury.

California is a state with more regulation than other states in the contiguous United States. Eligibility for worker's compensation is decided by a state commission. They assess the situation to determine if claims are legitimate, and how much compensation is necessary. Appeals can be made through the court system. You must seek adequate counsel and not rely on the contents of this article for your case; this is a disclaimer saying we do not guarantee this information to be accurate or timely to your situation.