Save-a-life Saturdays

Two Saturdays ago I finished classes for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The CERT program is designed to teach neighbors to help their neighbors in case of a natural disaster or large scale emergency situation. When a massive earthquake occurs, first responders will be overwhelmed, utilities will be out, and everyone will be limited to the resources in their immediate area. CERT teaches people to organize and plan ahead for an immediate response such as locating people trapped in buildings, identifying and treating the injured, and communicating with the local authorities. It then extends to sheltering, feeding, and caring for people for a few days to a few weeks until outside help arrives.

These classes are important because Huntington Beach is disadvantaged by geography. We have a ridiculously high number of fault lines. Almost every entrance to the city is a bridge over a freeway or drainage channel. If the bridges collapse the city will be isolated. Even if they don't, the city is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of other people who would be in the same situation as us. The good news is the city is aware of this and has done a lot of planning and preparing.

There were four classes in the program I completed. In them I learned:

• How to triage a large group of injured people.
• To operate a fire extinguisher
• How to use levers to lift thousands of pounds.
• How to make an oven out of cardboard boxes and aluminum foil.
• Light search and rescue (they emphasize light).
• How to mark buildings as searched.
• Basic first aid including how to make a sling.
• How to transport people using blankets, chairs, and sticks.
• Proper storage of emergency supplies
• How to set up a shelter.
• How to check people for injuries.
• What to do with dead bodies.

They also distributed tsunami maps the city has prepared. It seems I live in a tsunami evacuation zone. My house is indicated below with a green dot. However, all I have to do is cross a street and then walk a few hundred feet to be in a safe zone.


I am planning on continuing with a few more training classes so I can become a fire department volunteer. This means when there is county level situation I can assist other cities. For example, when there is a big wildfire they will put out a call for volunteers who can provide logistical support for the firefighters and police. Volunteers will check people in, drive people around, and do things so the professionals can concentrate their trained manpower to fight fires and close roads.

The next step is for me to start a CERT team in my neighborhood. I should talk to my neighbors and ask them to join me in storing supplies, learning basic skills, and developing a plan for the next big earthquake.

I am not happy

I am not happy with the way my life is going.

There is what I do on a daily basis. I do not have a job and do not look like I am about to get one. This would be fine if I was in graduate school or working toward something, but I am not.

There are the people around me. While I have met some great people recently, they are not in my age group. I do not have a girlfriend and I am not making the kind of friends I want to.

Then there is my living situation. I live at home with my parents, which is not were I want to be. I should be living in my own apartment where I make decisions about how things are done.

I am not happy with these things. This is not how I want my life to look six months or a year from now.

This is not the life I want. I know I can do better.

Current vision, Television

One bad thing about summer is many television shows go on hiatus. The upside is many programs outside of the standard fall to spring schedule start their new seasons.

These are the shows I am/will be watching with new episodes airing this summer. I mention what the show is about, where the new season might go, and why I like it. In order of their season premiere,

Burn Notice
The setup: The opening of every episode explains the series well so I will quote the monologue:

My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy. Until...[Voice on phone:] "We’ve got a burn notice on you. You’re blacklisted." When you’re burned, you’ve got nothing. No cash, no credit, no job history. You’re stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in. You do whatever work comes your way. You rely on anyone who’s still talking to you. A trigger-happy ex-girlfriend...An old friend who used to inform on you to the FBI...Family too...if you’re desperate. Bottom line? Until you figure out who burned you, you’re not going anywhere.

Michael tries to figure out who framed and betrayed him. Aside from that, he helps people who need help the police cannot provide. This could be anything from helping good people who got mixed up with loan sharks to rescuing girls who were kidnapped for sex trafficking.

This season: I do not know which way they are taking this season. I think Michael has killed every possible threat and taken all the revenge he can. The only thing left is to blow more things up and shoot more bad guys. The show is in its fifth season on USA.

Why I like it: Blowing things up, killing bad guys, coming up with plans to get the bad guys in trouble, and international conspiracies.

Warehouse 13
The setup: People who work for the government locate items with special powers and store these items (called artifacts) so they cannot be used for nefarious purposes. The artifacts are usually linked to a historical figure who used its power.

This season: After Myka left everyone and the Warehouse at the end of last season a replacement agent will have to be brought in. The third season started on Monday on Syfy.

Why I like it: It is fun. Crazy stuff happens, but there is a semi-scientific reason why. All of the artifacts have connections to history or fiction. Last season had a plot involving H.G. Wells.

Breaking Bad
The setup: Chemistry teacher Walter White is diagnosed with advanced cancer. Fearing for the finical future of his pregnant wife and son with cerebral palsy after his death, he starts to cook methamphetamine. Keeping this secret, dealing with his junkie business partner, and all of the occupational dangers of being in the illegal drug business (being shot at, dealing with criminals, laundering money, etc.) combine for dramatic effect.

This season: After the dramatic ending of last season, how will Walter and Jesse get out of the mess they are in? Will Walter's house of cards come crashing down? Will Jesse outlive his usefulness? I would say more, but I do not want to ruin the series for anyone. The fourth season will premiere on Sunday on AMC.

Why I like it: Everything has unintended consequences. The characters are very human and act in ways that make sense. When things are bad; they can find a way to get worse.

Of all these shows, Breaking Bad is the best. If you want to start watching it, I very strongly recommend you start at the beginning with season one. The episodes need to be watched in order and are worth seeing. The other two series will make enough sense if you start watching anytime.

Stapledon, Last Men, and the Star Maker

I just finished the novel Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon. This book was only available at one of the branches to the Huntington Beach Public Library, the Helen Murphy Branch. When I checked it out it had dust on it. The librarian said it had not been checked out for five years. The book was two novels put together so I will describe both of them.

Last and First Men
This is written like a history of humankind seen from the point of view of one of the Last Men. The book covers the future of mankind from when the book was published in 1930 until two billion years in the future.

The book has an epic scale and a lot of great ideas. The descriptions of epochs in the book telescope as they get further into the future. For the first few years, things are described in detail. As time moves on, the histories become more general as more time is covered.

The predictions of the near future might have been interesting when the book was first published in 1930, but as of today I think most people could skip the first three chapters. I considered putting the book down several times as it was such a slow start.

In this sense the book reminds me of Jack London's The Sea-Wolf. Both of them are great books, except for a 50+ page section that I wish I could summarize and erase. Last and First Men has the misfortune of this bad part being the beginning, while The Sea-Wof has it at the end.

If you make it through Last and First Men, you should check out another one of Stapledon's books. It is a follow up book of sorts.

Star Maker
The form of the book is similar to Last and First Men, except it covers the history of the galaxy and beyond. The narrator is an Englishman whose mind wanders the galaxy. He not only observes other worlds with their inhabitants, but also has the ability to enter into the minds of these alien people. As the narrator gradually learns how to control his travel and discovers more about other worlds, his abilities of vision and observation increase.

The descriptions of other worlds and their inhabitants is the best part of the book. Stapledon's creations are nothing like the anthropomorphic aliens common today. Throughout the book, all these different beings are trying to understand the force behind the universe. This substance, whether it be a god, organized intelligence, or something else is called the Star Maker.

Oalf Stapledon
In the development of science fiction, Stapledon is an important figure. He came up with a lot of ideas and influenced several writers. Arthur C. Clark was greatly influenced by him. C.S. Lewis was also influenced, but in the opposite way. Lewis strongly disagreed with Stapledon's ideas and directly countered them in his writing.

I recommend both books. However, if you do not have the patience the first three chapters of Last and First Men can be omitted.

Capitalism and Freedom

Yesterday I finished reading Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman. I liked it. As Friedman writes in the introduction,

[The book's] major theme is the role of competitive capitalism-the organization of the bulk of economic activity through private enterprise operating in a free market-as a system of economic freedom and a necessary condition for political freedom.

The book was published in 1962, but the ideas are still powerful and worth considering. His thinking shows why he is one of most influential economists of the last century. I will summarize his ideas in three areas.

Taxes
Friedman would restructure taxes so they are only applied to individuals. He would require companies to report their earnings to their shareholders who would then be required to report their share based on their ownership stake on their personal tax returns. This would stop the unequal taxing of income based on its source and tax it at its final destination, the individual receiver. Since the taxes are being reported by the individuals who own the companies, the corporate tax would be abolished. Next, he would remove all income tax deductions and loopholes. He would institute a flat tax, with the first several thousand in earnings tax exempt.

This system would have many advantages. The uniform tax rate would discourage moving income between securities to reduce the tax rate. The tax code would be understandable so many more people could file their own taxes without paying accountants or buying tax software every year. I think this would also go a long way toward making politics better. Industries would not lobby for changes in the tax code to benefit them because all taxes would be bundled with individuals rates and all deductions would be abolished.

Education
Friedman advocates that parents who wish to send their children to private schools be paid a sum equal to what would be spent on educating their children in a public school. This money could then be used at approved educational institutions. If the state has the goal of ensuring every child is educated, it should allow the money allocated for each child to follow that child. This would remove the requirement that private school parents pay twice for education, once through taxes for public schools and a second time for the education they actually receive. This would give parents of limited means a wider range of choices in schools for their children.

Licenses for occupations
Friedman writes about the negative effects of licensure in any occupation. Aside from limiting a person's choice of profession and the consumer's options, license boards can easily become an interest group that protects the interests of practitioners instead of people outside the profession. He specifically attacks the American Medical Association for their efforts to limit the number of doctors and consequently keep the costs of medical care high. This would benefit practicing doctors by keeping their wages high.

While I enjoyed reading the book, I liked Hayek's Road to Serfdom better.

Throughout the book Friedman raises some good questions. Even if you disagree with his conclusions, they are questions worth answering.

A Fruity Email

A while ago I received an email from a neighbor. The title was "Dr. OZ on eating fruit (must read)." Since my neighbor is into all that health stuff, I figured I should take a look at it. I will reproduce the email below in case anyone received a similar email and googles it. My own comments are included for both comic and practical purposes.

This is informative!

We all think eating fruit means just buying fruit, cutting it up and popping it into our mouths. It's not that easy. It's important to know how and when to eat fruit.

What's the correct way to eat fruit?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUIT AFTER A MEAL! FRUIT SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

Eating fruit like that plays a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

Anytime someone says you need to detoxify, ask him to draw you a toxin. If they are such a danger doctors should be able to draw pictures of toxins and explain why they are bad.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.

Let's say you eat two slices of bread, then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it's prevented from doing so.

In the meantime, the whole meal rots and ferments, and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach, and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

Eat your fruit on an empty stomach, or before your meal! You've heard people complain: Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc. This will not happen if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. Fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas. Hence, you bloat!

There's no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruit becomes alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruit, you have the Secret of Beauty, Longevity, Health, Energy, Happiness and normal weight.

Beauty, Longevity, Health, Energy, Happiness and normal weight- my lack of fruit is the source of all the problems in my life.

When you need to drink fruit juice drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT the concentrated juice from the cans. Don't drink juice that has been heated. Don't eat cooked fruit; you don't get the nutrients at all. You get only the taste. Cooking destroys all of the vitamins.

I agree that many juice based drinks are a lot unhealthier than they look. I prefer drinking a Classic Coca-Cola instead. As for "cooking destroying vitamins," this sounds like the raw foods movement. I learned about this when Cal had a raw foods night at the DC. I also learned raw foods do not taste good.

Eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit-fast to cleanse your body. Eat fruit and drink fruit juice for just 3 days, and you will be surprised when your friends say how radiant you look!

I learned from infomercials that I can get all the benefits of eating fruits by drinking them if I use Jack Lalanne's Power Juicer.

KIWI: Tiny but mighty, and a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange!

AN APPLE a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants and flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C, thereby helping to lower the risk of colon cancer, heart attack and stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits and protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

EATING 2 - 4 ORANGES a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent and dissolve kidney stones, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. Also a key source of lycopene, the cancer-fighting oxidant. Also found in watermelon: Vitamin C and Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, good for your eyes.

This is nice, but I do not care about these trivial pieces of information. I am not going to say "My kiwi has twice the vitamin C of your orange!"

Then I got to a line that affected me.

Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer!

Oh my gosh! I drink cold water during and after meals all the time.

Can you believe this? For those who like to drink cold water, this applies to you. It's nice to have a cold drink after a meal, however, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you've just consumed, which slows digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

I must have a lot of cancer by now. I am going to die!

My Response
I did a little research and sent my neighbor this email:

Fruit is great food and everyone (including me) could always eat some more of it. However, some of the claims in this email are false. I researched online and found a few websites that talk about this email. It seems Dr. Oz did not say these things.

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/fruit.asp

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/coldwater.asp

Do not believe everything you are sent in an email or read online. Even if it is from a retired professor who should know what she is talking about, do not believe any unreasonable claims until you have researched them. If you do send out an email to people and later discover it had false information, send another email to everyone telling them of your earlier mistake and informing them of the new things you have learned.