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Swine Flu - How To Protect Yourself Quickly & Easily by: Simon DodererThe guidelines state: INFORM / THE HIGHEST LEVEL / BASIC HYGIENE SOLUTIONS Swine Flu: The current issue of the swine flu, this is caused by an Influenza A type virus. This determines the characteristics, such as shape and make up of the virus. Byotrol from Northern Environmental kills this type of virus. It is the infections that are caused by the swine flu virus that are difficult to control/treat. Byocare Handmousse used on hard surfaces or hands kills the virus it does not treat the disease. Byotrol helps ‘prevent’ and protect – EN1500 with 30 minute and 16 hours control! This may not be as direct proof as we like but we can be very confident that Byotrol is effective against flu virus Below are some guidelines on our website – I have highlighted in red several of the many key features whereby simple, back to basic measures underpinned by the Byotrol Technology can help. Swine Flu - Byotrol Publishes Guide Lines To Help Businesses 27th Apr 2009 Pandemic Flu Policy & Contingency Plan 1. INTRODUCTION A Swine Flu ( influenza) pandemic has the potential to severely affect UK Business, employees and their families, and requires specific planning over and above that made for disasters It is recommended the planning focuses on: • Raising employees awareness of the threat of a pandemic and testing staff preparedness: • Maintaining health surveillance and hygiene measures: • Producing action plans that are specific to each of the business’s locations, taking into account local healthcare provision and regulatory systems governing drug licensing and stockpiling : and • Enhancing protection for high risk and vulnerable employees. 2 Background Pandemic influenza (flu) is a type of influenza that occurs every few decades and which spreads rapidly to affect most countries and regions around the world. Unlike the “ordinary” flu that occurs every winter in the UK, pandemic flu can occur at any time of year. Pandemic flu is much more serious than “ordinary” flu. As much as a quarter of the population may be affected – possibly more. Pandemic flu is likely to cause the same symptoms as ordinary flu but the symptoms may be more severe because nobody will have any immunity or protection against the particular virus. Swine influenza or “Swine Flu” is a contagious disease caused by mutation in influenza A viruses. Swine Flu - How To Protect Yourself Quickly & Easily 3 Planning for a PANDEMIC 3.1 The CEO should be the business’s designated pandemic coordinator and a pandemic response team from across the business should be set up and trained in clearly defined rolls. 3.2 The functions of the pandemic response team includes • Maintaining the team’s own awareness of global developments in Swine Flu (including guidance on containment strategies and vaccines) • Developing training and awareness materials for the business • Briefing the Management Board • Ensuring links are maintained with external stakeholders in planning for a pandemic flu (e.g. suppliers, customers and where relevant the Public) PANDEMIC RESPONSE Working practices and social distancing • Employees who are fit to return to work following an absence due to pandemic flu (and who have therefore developed immunity to the disease) might be considered for high-risk, essential roles. • The company should establish flexible working policies, enabling line managers to agree home working, different shift patterns, or relocation to a site more local to the employee’s home where appropriate. • Employees will be required to work at least one metre away from colleagues to ensure social distancing and managers will reconfigure work-site layouts to enable this to take place • Other social distancing responses are likely to include: o Absolutely no shared use of Telephones and mobiles o Advising employees to avoid face-to-face meetings and to use telephone and internet services instead, where possible o If this is not possible, meeting only in a large room and maintaining a distance of at least one metre between participants o Advising employees to avoid crowded places (lifts) or heavily populated gatherings (e.g. sporting events) o Advising employees to avoid travelling at busy periods on public transport • Essential workers who are totally reliant on public transport may be offered dedicated transport to and from work Infection Control • During a pandemic the business should seek to reduce the overall and specific risks to members of staff by taking appropriate infection control actions (e.g. strengthening guidance on hand washing, unnecessary contact such as hand shaking and isolataion of any member of staff with symptoms such as coughing) • Basic health protection advice including the following guidance: o Avoid close contact o Staying at home when sick or sickening o Covering completely with disposable tissues mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing sanitising hands afterwards o Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth • Additional protection measures will be taken to ensure that influenza does not spread through contaminated objects and surfaces, such as handles, railings and counters. Surfaces touched by hands will be cleaned at least daily using Byotrol products. • Staff with flu-like symptoms will be required to stay at home until the symptoms disappear and will be allowed in the workplace only in extreme circumstances • Staff developing symptoms at work will be accommodated in a designated isolation room while arrangements are made to transport them home. Precautions will be introduced for all those entering and leaving this room. • Swine Flu - How To Protect Yourself Quickly & Easily Staff at risk of developing influenza-related complications (e.g. pregnant workers and those with compromised immune systems) will be reassigned from high-risk work sites and locations in the event of a pandemic. Business and personal travel • Only essential business travel should be considered during a pandemic and procedures for approving travel need to be tightened, requiring authorisation from a senior manager • The pandemic response team should monitor travel plans and new procedures for notifying employees’ location during periods of business travel will be introduced in the event of a pandemic • Staff required to visit pandemic-affected areas on business will be provided with appropriate health advice and personal protective equipment (e.g. masks, Byotrol based handwipes) and employees will have the right to refuse to travel to such areas • Staff visiting affected areas for non-business purposes during a pandemic may need to be required to stay away from work for a period of quarantine on unpaid leave. 3.3 Goods services and functions of the business that are essential to its operations and survival will be defined and the Business will: • Carry out devolution planning: i.e. plan which services can be carried out by other sites: • Develop an order of succession: i.e. plan which services can be carried out by personnel other than those who normally given the task and train non-essential back-up staff to perform essential tasks • Stockpile small quantities of essential supplies, materials and equipment • Ensure that maintenance plans are up to date to guarantee that all equipment essential to the business’s operation is capable of sustained operation in the event of a pandemic • Prepare time lines for how long it will be possible for the Business to carry out its essential functions without critical supplies, personnel and equipment • Produce forecasts of employee sickness absence during a pandemic flu • Put in place policies to enable flexible working (e.g. home- working ) in the event of a pandemic flu: • Put in place a pandemic response team that will take steps to heighten awareness of the Business infection control procedures, particularly provisions covering hand hygiene: • Provide specific training for all employees and students on personal, workplace and family protection and actions to take as a pandemic develops; • Prepare employee support services, including grief counselling and psychiatric care ; • Ensure that adequate supplies of infection control materials (Byotrol mousse for hand hygiene, surface sprays, wipes, gloves and masks) are held in preparedness for a pandemic. The Byotrol hand hygiene programme is just one element of our ‘Hygiene Revolution’ whereby we can challenge and manage the Critical Control Points within food processing / preparation / service: Floors / Food Contact surfaces / Hands Product offering: Hand Hygiene / Skin care Unit Pack End user unit price Byocare Mousse 50ml 30 x 50ml £2.99 Byocare Mousse 600ml 12 x 600ml £8.50 Byocare Mousse 5L - re-fill 4 x 5L £16.00 Swine Flu - How To Protect Yourself Quickly & Easily FOOD MANUFACTURING For Food-processing, food-preparation and food-service there are complex hygiene issues such as:  Food preparation: deli, bakery, on site food prep: sandwiches etc Floors: HD Food Safe Degreaser/ food contact surface Byosan, Cleaner Sanitiser + (Ready for use), Byowipe (Byosan liquid inside)  Food storage, display and check out – floors, shelving, check-out conveyors Broad spectrum usage: Byowipe – kills and protects / multi surface usage People ‘hands’: one of the major contributing factor for food spoilage and pathogens – some statistics claim upto 80% can be attributed to poor hand hygiene (General public: circa 40% of men and 20% of women do not wash their hands after using the toilet) (Catering workers: circa 50% do not wash their hands prior to preparing food) Byocare – hand hygiene programme: soap, sanitiser, dispensers, training programme Prepared by Simon Doderer – http://www.nenviro.com with content from Byotrol PLC. Call 0800 808 7887 or email Info@nenviro.comAbout The AuthorSimon Doderer is managing Director and founder of http://www.nenviro.com. Dedicated to commercial solutions for the Environment.Visit the author's web site at:http://www.nenviro.com

BMW "No Reverse" Transmission Problem by: Joe Sirugo

An automatic transmission is just that- automatic, consequently most people tend to pay very little attention to it until a major problem rears its ugly head. Picture the scenario- you are driving along in the lap of luxury, the satellite radio blaring and the heated seats on. You’ve become accustomed to the comfort level and great driving experience brought to you by BMW. You decide to stop at the local convenience store on your way home to grab some ice cream for the kids and a bottle of water for yourself. Upon returning to your car, you start it up, check your rear view mirror, put the shifter in reverse and then the unthinkable happens- the engine just revs as if it is in neutral and the car goes nowhere! This article deals with the reasons behind an unexpected loss of reverse in certain BMW automatic transmission equipped vehicles, specifically the 3 series and 5 series vehicles that use the ZF5HP19 or “steptronic” transmission. This includes the popular 323i, 323ci, 325i, 328i, 330i, 525i, 528i, 530i, X3 and X5 models well as some others built in the 1999 to present model years. To eliminate confusion, this doesn’t apply to vehicles equipped with the GM 5L40 E transmission, just the ones with the sometimes problematic ZF5HP19. The 5L40 E has some issues of it’s own that are beyond the scope of this article but are certainly going to be the subject of another. The failure rate for these transmissions seems to be very high and is expected to become much more of a problem as time goes by. Typically, the vehicle is working perfectly while driving forward but when it is put in reverse there is a complete and permanent loss of movement to back up. Reverse is typically a major feat for any transmission to accomplish- imagine the demands that are placed on a gearbox as it is asked to reverse the torque of your engine so that you can back up your nearly 4000 pound vehicle. By far, the most common cause of the reverse problem in BMW’s is the failure of the “D-G” clutch drum. Specifically, the snap ring that retains the D or reverse clutch breaks out of the clutch drum resulting in an inability for the clutch pack to apply. The good news is that there is hope in regards to a proper repair. The factory has released an updated part that so far appears to be a permanent fix for this problem. In our testing and in conjunction with several hundred successful repairs at our facilities, the new part seems to be metallurgically superior in several ways. We have found that there is an improved radius area as well as slightly thicker casting. In addition to this, the grove that retains the snap ring is also relocated further away from the edge of the drum. With this issue addressed and attention to detail in several other areas of the ZF5HP19 unit, the transmission can be repaired to “better than new” condition by a competent transmission rebuilder / remanufacturer. In fact, when properly repaired, the ZF gearbox becomes quite robust and can provide an almost indefinite service life.
About The Author
Joe Sirugo o is co-owner of Trans Specialties and has been in the transmission repair industry for over 20 years. Visit his website- http://www.autotransparts.com for more info

Difficult People: Harassing Neighbors by: Dr. Mark Lauderdale


“My neighbors are harassing me. How do you deal with difficult people like these?” I’ve been asked this question SEVERAL times now, so I thought I’d write an article on the topic. The word “harassment” is a very broad term. For different people it can mean anything from neighbors who are verbally abusive and deflating your tires to people who are just plain nosey. It’s a little like saying, “My dog is misbehaving”. You wouldn’t start right away by working on your dog’s “misbehavior” in general. You’d want to focus on the SPECIFIC forms of misbehavior that are causing a problem, such as jumping up on people, or barking too much, etc… So, the first thing to do is to identify the specific type of harassing behavior that is causing the problem. For the sake of discussion let’s say that your neighbors are frequently rude or disrespectful to you and your family. They use a "hit and run” form of verbal abuse. The next thing to do is… talk to them? (I can already hear you saying, “I tried that and it didn’t work!”) Let me clear about this… NO! The next thing to do has NOTHING to do with talking to them. In fact, jumping into action too quickly is often where people go wrong right off the bat. It’s almost guaranteed that you will DO or SAY the wrong things, which just make things WORSE. No, the next thing to do is IMAGINE… more specifically, to visualize the way you’d like things to be with your neighbor instead of the way things are. In other words, set your goal and visualize it. You might want to turn them into friends or you might want to have infrequent but respectful interactions. That’s ok. Just be very clear about your goal – as long as it’s constructive. So, let’s say that you don’t want to move away from the neighborhood and that what you REALLY want is for your neighbors to talk in a respectful way to you and your family. Now, since THIS is what you really want, you should make a conscious decision that everything you say or do from now on will move things toward this outcome… and furthermore, that everything THEY say or do ALSO becomes an opportunity for you to take things closer to that outcome. After you’ve imagined what a positive outcome might look like, you should then eliminate your anger, frustration and stress about the situation and feel calm, strong and confident about creating a positive change. You can’t produce a positive outcome if you’re sitting on negative, angry or hostile feelings. To shift your emotional state into strength and confidence, you can use the Wellspring Method at http://www.shrinkinabox.com/difficult-people/creating-change.htm which I created to help you successfully deal with difficult people and situations like this. Armed with a feeling of confidence and determination to produce a positive outcome with the difficult person, start imagining what would happen if you were to meet with your neighbor… play out ANY scenarios that come into your mind. There is not just ONE RIGHT WAY. You know your situation far better than I do and how your particular neighbor is likely to respond. You might start off by paying them a visit and saying, “I noticed that you seemed unhappy about something when we last spoke, so I thought I’d come over and find out what it is that’s bugging you…” It’s quite possible that they may not believe you and you may just get another rude response. But, you can persist… “Clearly something was bothering you and I’d really like to know what it is so that we can address the problem.” You want to persist and be genuinely concerned and curious, so that your neighbor actually starts to feel that you are interested in what their issue is. Persist until you REALLY understand why they are feeling the way they are… even if their concern is based on misinformation or an immature way of seeing things. Once you understand what their concern is (no matter how rudely they expressed it), you can then start to think of a solution that could address that concern. Of course, if you are addressing their genuine concern, then they will also become more receptive to a friendlier relationship without the disrespectful language. If there is really no underlying issue that is bothering them, or at least none that they will divulge to you, and they persist with rude language, you can take the approach of paying them a visit each and every time a rude episode occurs… each time approaching them with the same calm and genuine curiosity about what it is that is bugging them. The more rude they are, the more concerned and curious you can be. Of course, you would need to be able to do this calmly and confidently because pushing your buttons and getting you to react is what they are TRYING to do! If you continue with repeated discussions over an extended period of time, never retaliating or getting drawn into an argument and always pursuing the issues in great detail, the act of being disrespectful towards you will start to become a bit of a nuisance to your neighbor who will think twice about being rude next time. He’ll know that hurling another negative comment your way is just going to result in yet another long drawn out discussion in which the things that are bugging him will be put under the microscope for examination. There are only two outcomes… Either your neighbor will eventually reveal what is really bugging him or her, which you can then address through some kind of win-win solution, or, they will change their tune and avoid being rude in order to avoid another discussion with you. Learn more about dealing with difficult people and problem situations at: http://www.shrinkinabox.com/difficult-people/
About The Author
Mark Lauderdale MD FRCPC is a psychiatrist and author of “Secrets of Dealing with Difficult People” http://www.shrinkinabox.com/difficult-people/ which provides expert ideas, insights and tools for dealing with all types of difficult people confidently and effectively. Copyright 2008 Wellspring Personal Effectiveness Inc.

Finding A Family-Friendly Degreaser Cleaner by: Vincent P Platania


Super dirty, grimy, and filthy ovens complete with built-up slime and heavily encrusted gunk requires an intensive, heavy-duty cleaning device. The problem is that many oven degreasers contain poisonous and even toxic chemicals. Moreover, most of these brutal chemicals do not, in fact, make a product’s cleaning power much better than those containing safer substances. Degreasers filled with harmful ingredients will not necessarily clean better than its less toxic counterpart, but they will make your home less safe, especially for small children. Manufacturers of cleaning products include harsh chemicals in order to please consumers who have been lead to believe that those very materials are needed to clean powerfully and effectively. Moreover, these harsh substances cause Unfortunately, many of these harsh chemicals produce several intolerable side effects. Many of these toxic substances emit intense odors generating indoor air pollution. For this reason, consumers need to ventilate their houses when cleaning as recommended on the products’ packages. Such pungent smells often leave consumers with such symptoms as headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Several studies have indicated that chemical inhalation can lead to serious, long-term health problems. Pregnant women should avoid using these poisonous products since these fumes may harm the fetus. Such harsh chemicals are not only harmful to people, they are damaging to the environment. In fact, many toxic products include government-sanctioned instructions on how to dispose of them. Heaven forbid if these unused substances leaked into our soil and water. To use such products, you need to wear rubber gloves to avoid skin contact. Rubber gloves are not biodegradable, and languish in landfills when thrown out. On an up note, citrus degreasers and other natural ingredients are just as effective cleaners as toxic chemicals, and do not have any harmful side effects. Safe, biodegradable, Degreaser cleaners are currently available. While you must still take some obvious precautions like keeping the products out of the reach of children, citric cleaners are nevertheless much safer than their chemical-laden counterparts. And many of these natural cleaners are packaged in biodegradable and recycled packaging. Most corporations manufacture citrus degreasers and other biodegradable degreaser cleaners not only because they help our health and the environment, but because they work extraordinarily well. Citrus cleaning products are usually made from corn with orange oils added for extra cleaning power and an agreeable scent. These ingredients enable the degreaser cleaner to lift and dissolve dirt and grime. Because citrus degreaser cleaners are safe and biodegradable, they can be used to clean more than just ovens, barbeques, or engines. Such products can also clean carpets, counters, stovetops, etc. Yet, you must always first read the directions on the label. Some of these instructions will tell you how to dilute the cleaner so that it works on bathtubs, showers, toilets, floors, grouts, tiles, and glass. The uses for degreaser cleaner are endless. You can be assured that effective and environmentally friendly degreaser cleaners will be around for a long time. Visit http://www.stanley-home-products.com/
About The Author
Vincent Platania represents the Stanley Home Products. Stanley Home Products has been in business since 1936, and offers high quality home and personal care products to keep your home and your body clean. Visit http://www.stanley-home-products.com/

In order to properly celebrate World Toilet Day, one must flush an object of your choice down a toilet while making a video.

Our Tribute to World Toilet Day. We flushed smilin' Bob down our local gas station toilet as our way of joining the celebration. So here is to Jon Crapper, the potty, the can, the commode, De Latrine. Later, historians may revere this as the porceline throne of modern man.

How to Cook a Bird This Thanksgiving
How to Prepare and Cook the Perfect Chicken and Turkey by: Kevin McCarthyPeople want to eat healthy foods today, and a good way to accomplish that is through poultry. There are some chicken cooking tips that can help you in the kitchen and protect your family as well. Here are a few of the best chicken cooking tips available. • You must take care to always wash your hands, knife, and cutting board in hot soapy water after preparing raw poultry. • You should never use the same utensils and cutting board for other ingredients without thoroughly washing them first and after use. This prevents cross contamination. • You should always marinate poultry in the refrigerator. Never leave it out in the open. • Do not use the poultry marinade for basting. • If the marinade is to be used for the basis of a sauce, bring it to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. • Never put cooked poultry on the same plate that was used to transport raw poultry. Again, this prevents cross contamination. Here are some chicken cooking tips for storing your poultry: • Fresh poultry is a very perishable food. You should not leave it out in the open air. Instead, wrap it in plastic as soon as you get it home from the store and always store it in the coldest part of your refrigerator. You should use it within two days; if this is not possible, place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. You should always freeze giblets and livers separately from the whole bird. • Cooked poultry dishes can be frozen. However, you should not freeze poultry dishes that contain mayonnaise or hard-boiled eggs. • Allow small poultry dishes to cool completely before wrapping and freezing them. Allow larger items to cool in the refrigerator and then wrap airtight and freeze. • You should never freeze stuffed poultry. Some of the most important chicken cooking tips involve proper thawing of the bird. It is especially important that the poultry be properly thawed before cooking. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator while it is in the original wrapper. You can place it on a tray to catch any drips that may fall as it thaws. When thawing in the refrigerator is not possible because there is not enough time, there are two other alternatives. For rapid thawing, you can put the bird in watertight wrapping and then submerge in cold water. You should change the water frequently as this will help quicken the process. Smaller birds require about one to two hours. The other alternative is to leave the bird in its wrapper and put it into a heavy paper grocery bag. Close up the bag and put it into a cool room. You will need to check it frequently, and once the bird is thawed, you must cook it immediately. Now for the Turkey! Turkey is a long time favorite of many families and now there are some great cooking tips tricks that anyone can learn and use to better prepare these wonderful birds. Selecting the proper size: You should plan on about 3/4 pound per person for generous servings. You should understand that this will not leave much in leftovers. If you like to have more leftovers, plan on 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Hens or Toms: It may surprise you but the only real difference between a hen and tom is the size. Hens are classified under 16 pounds and toms are over 16 lbs. A somewhat secret cooking tips tricks is that both will be a young turkey, just a few weeks old at the time of processing. They will be equally tender and moist. Roasting your bird: Remove the neck and giblets from the neck and body cavities. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. If you want to stuff the bird, you should loosely stuff the body and neck cavities and then fasten the leg clamp back onto the legs. Cooking tips tricks: Place the turkey in a roasting pan with the plastic timer unobstructed. Cover with a lid, or fashion your own cover with a loose tent of foil. Remember to remove the cover for the last hour for browning. Cooking tips tricks for Roasting Times: Roast in a preheated, 325 degree Fahrenheit oven. Roasting will take about 15 minutes per pound if the turkey is not stuffed. Stuffed turkeys require an additional 1/2 to 1 hour cooking time. However, it is always best to follow the instructions that come with the stuffing and the turkey. You oven temperature may vary as well which will require you to adjust your time, either upward or downward. Cooking tips tricks for Basting: One of the most useful tools you can have is a suction basting tube. These inexpensive tools can make basting your turkey a snap and they can also help decrease the time that the oven door is open, which leads to losing oven heat. Baste your bird about every hour or so. This will help make it brown and tender.About The AuthorKevin McCarthy If you enjoyed this article then have a look at =>http://www.heavencooking.com/ for more cooking articles, information, tips & tricks. There’s even a free report on Master Chef insider tips for saving money on your cooking utensils and equipment.

Bug Off: Protecting Your Garden from Mosquitoes by: Jennifer Jordan
For those of us who enjoy gardening, mosquitoes are a frequent pest. As they aim to feed on the nectar of flowers, gardens, to mosquitoes, are like all-you-can-eat buffets: we are open, come on in. This not only hurts your landscaping and ruins your garden, but it can also be detrimental to your health: mosquitoes are well known for spreading disease. You could ignore these facts, of course, and go on with your gardening and with your life in some kind of West Nile denial. But, when ignoring mosquitoes and the problems they cause proves futile, you may find yourself in need of a solution. Luckily, there are natural ways to get rid of your problem. Fill your Water with Fish and Frogs: Water, particularly stagnant water, is highly attractive to mosquitoes; it's where most mosquitoes lay their eggs. For this reason, having water in your backyard, such as a stream or a fountain, can leave you wasting away in mosquito-ville. Removing water from your backyard is one solution, but if you can't part with your pond, try adding in frogs, toads, and fish. These creatures feed on mosquitoes and larvae, helping to rid your water, your yard, and your garden, of these pests. Activating the food chain, this way of extermination is completely natural; many aquatic creatures dine by the mantra "mosquito, its what's for dinner." On shore, setting up a bird house or a bird feeder may also help control the mosquito population: mosquitoes make great snacks for our fine feathered friends. Use Garlic Spray: Just like blood sucking vampire, blood sucking insects also hate garlic. Perhaps they don't like the taste, perhaps they don't like the smell, or perhaps they once had a very bad run in with a pasta dish. Whatever the reason, garlic is one way to send mosquitoes on their way. Planting garlic, or showering your garden with garlic sprays and powders, might not deter every mosquito from entering your yard, but it's sure to discourage some. Just the presence of garlic has the potential to let mosquitoes know your garden is cloved, er, closed. Plant Marigolds: These vividly colored flowers are a beautiful and lively addition to any garden. But, unlike some flowers, they also have bug fighting characteristics. Marigolds produce an odor that mosquitoes don't like, and aim to avoid. Marigolds are very easy to grow and can thrive in any environment, with exception of the extreme cold. Yet, they aren't alone in their mosquito fighting mission: catnip, rosemary, and citronella grass are other plants known for telling mosquitoes to bug off. The above ideas should help you control your garden's mosquito population at least on some level. Wearing repellent, long sleeves and long pants can also aid your own personal protection. If all else fails, and you find mosquitoes just won't go away, you can find relief by simply taking your hand and relying on your own version of the SWAT team.
About The Author
Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor for http://www.etodoors.com. Someone who changes her mind every five minutes, her house is in a perpetual state of home improvement.