Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

We all carry our mobile phones with hundreds of names and numbers stored in its memory but in an emergency, would someone who finds our phone know who to call on our behalf?  We have many numbers stored, but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency?

To help emergency responders contact the people you want them to call in an emergency, simply program one or more telephone numbers in your contact list under the name ICE (In Case of Emergency) in your mobile phone.  The concept of "ICE" is catching on quickly.  It is a simple, important method of contact during emergency situations.  Emergency Personnel are trained to look through your contact list for any numbers stored under “ICE”.  For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.

The idea was thought up by a paramedic, who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but the response team didn't know which number to call.  He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose.

Since their discovery in the 1940s, antibiotics have dramatically reduced illness and death from infectious diseases.  But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibiotic resistance is becoming one of the world's most pressing public health concerns.  Medical experts cite antibiotic overuse and misuse as top reasons why bacteria are developing resistance to these drugs.

Antibiotics are designed to treat bacterial infections, such as strep throat, ear infections, and sinus infections.  They are not useful for viral infections such as colds, coughs, or the flu.  Yet some people try to persuade their health care provider to prescribe antibiotics to cure the common cold.

Another problem is patients often stop taking prescription antibiotics as soon as they start feeling better.  Bacteria can recover and mutate so the drug is no longer effective.

You can help keep antibiotics effective.  The CDC recommends:

• Taking antibiotics for bacterial infections exactly as prescribed by your health care provider.
• Asking your health care provider for ways to help relieve your symptoms if you don't have a bacterial infection.
• Taking the antibiotic until it's gone, even if you are feeling better.  Never save be medication to treat yourself or others later.
• Refusing to take an antibiotic that is prescribed for someone else.

Buy gasoline early in the morning before the sun's heat expands the gasoline in the station's fuel tanks.  In hot weather, you can get up to 5% more gas this way!

If you overlooked a deduction or made a mistake on a tax return up to three years ago, file an amended return.

For an emergency funnel, fill a plastic freezer bag with the liquid you want to funnel, cut one corner, insert it into the larger container, and squeeze.

Store silverware in a plastic bag powdered on the inside with baking soda to prevent tarnishing.

To prevent a severely pulled calf muscle when stretching your legs, try stretching with your toes pointed up.  This works just as well as stretching with your toes pointed down, but prevents a painful pulled calf muscle.