10 Tips To Prevent Skin Cancer

Summer is finally sneaking up on us in Alberta. Since 1 in 5 Americans will get skin cancer, it is time we take Sun Safety seriously.

1. Slop on the Sunscreen

• Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, pretecting agains UVA as well as UVB rays.
• Apply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before going outside, and reapply every 2 hours, more often when perspiring or swimming.

2. Reduce Sun Exposure

• Especially between 11am and 4pm during the summer months, when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest. Reduce exposure to the sun when the UV index is 3 or higher.

3. Seek some Shade

• Seek shade under trees, wear a broad-rimmed hat or use an umbrella.
• Wear tight weave clothing to cover your arms and legs. Even gloves are a good idea.
• Wear sunglasses with UV protection.

4. Beware of the Clouds

• You can get a sunburn even on a cloudy day. Up to 80% of the sun’s rays can penetrate light clouds, mist and fog. Don’t be fooled by clouds.

5. Beware of Reflection

• Water, white sand, snow and concrete can reflect up to 80% of the sun’s damaging UV rays.

6. Protect your Eyes

• Radiation from the sun can cause cell damage in your eyes. UV radiation from the sun increases the risk of developing cataracts later in life. UV radiation can also cause skin cancer on the eyelid or on the surface of the eye. Protect your eyes with proper sunglasses. Make sure your sunglasses offer complete UVA and UVB protection.

7. Keep your Kids Safe

• The most harmful effects of sun exposure occur during early childhood. Keep babies out of direct sunlight.
• Do not apply sunscreen to a baby less than 6 months old.
• Never let infants play or sleep in the sun in a playpen, stroller or carriage.
• Never let young children stay in the sun for long periods, even when wearing sunscreen.
• Get your children used to wearing sunscreen lotion early on. Use waterproof sunscreen when on the beach or playing in water.
• Have your child wear sunglasses that protect their eyes against UVA and UVB.
• Make sure your child wears a wide brimmed hat and that arms and legs are covered when playing in the sun.

8. Avoid Tanning Lamps

• Encourage teenagers to avoid using tanning lamps. Health Canada does not recommend the use of tanning equipment – especially for people under the age of 18.
• Use self-tanner from a bottle instead.

9. Spot check your Moles

Examine your moles and freckles regularly and watch for any changes. See your doctor right away if you notice any of the following:

• abnormally dark or dicoloured patches or spots
• bleeding, crusting or change in the colour, size or shape of a mole

10. Medication and Sun Exposure

• Beware that certain medications can make your skin more sensitive to UV rays. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about your medication.

Skin cancer is preventable. Let’s use some common sense and follow the above steps to stay safe in the sun.

Planning a trip during your summer holidays? Please let your security monitoring station know with up-to-date information on departure dates on who to contact during your absence.

If you don’t have a security system or don’t have it monitored, call me for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be glad you did!

Ulli Robson, Security Specialist, (780) 288-2986.

www.SafewithUlli.com

 

Top 10 Canadian Crimes

I came across this article by Danny Brown and thought I share it with you. Didn’t know we had that many heinous Canadian individuals ruining our reputation for being a peaceful country. It’s not all maple sugar and Molson Dry in the Great White North – we’ve had our share of savage criminals. Here are the worst of the lot.

 

 

 

Number 10

The Flying Bandit Bank Robberies

Possibly one of the most beloved Canadian criminals, Ken Leishman was a roguish bank robber who became almost like a folk hero to many in the ’60s and ’70s. This was due, in no small way, to the fact that every single one of his bank heists was non-violent.

Perhaps the most famous of these was the 1966 gold bullion robbery Leishman masterminded at Winnipeg Airport. Whis his colleagues dressed as Air Canada freight handlers, Leishman orchestrated the theft of 12 crates of gold bars via a stolen Air Candada truck. Due to his bizarre popularity, the community of Red Lake named Leishman president of their Chamber of Commerce upon his release from prison.

Number 9

Piggy Palace Murders

With his trial held at the British Columbia Supreme Court, Vancouver pig farmer Robert William Pickton was accused of murdering 26 women. Pickton is no stranger to the law, ans was also charged with attempted murder in 1997. However, it was by sheer luck that the more recent case, which began in 2002, was brought on. While searching Pickton’s property for illegal firearms, police found personal belongings of women that had been reported missing.

Subsequent searches revealed body parts, such as jawbones belonging to some of the missing women, as well as skulls that had been sawed in half with the victim’s feet and hands inside for good measure. Many other remains have yet to be found. Although in 2004, it was disclosed that some of the flesh from Pickton’s victims may have been ground up and given out to his friends and farm visitors as part of the pork he sold from the farm. Pickton has been charged with 26 counts of first-degree murder.

Number 8

Mistaken Identity

Jailed on January 4, 2000, for the rape and murder of 20-year old Gail Miller in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Larry Fisher wasn’t even the prime suspect in this legendary Canadian crime case to begin with. An innocent man, David Milgaard, served 23 years for Fisher’s murder until his release in 1992. Yet it wasn’t until 1997 that new evidence, using DNA, actually exonerated Milgaard and he was subsequently awarded a $10-million compensation.

That DNA saw Fisher arrested and charged with the rape and subsequent stabbing of nursing aid Miller. He was convicted in November 1999, a full 20 years after the initial crime. Many people asked how Fisher had been missed since he had already spent time behind bars for a series of rapes in Winnipeg, North Battleford and Manitoba, as well as the city where Gail Millerr was murdered.

Number 7

Tracy Latimer Mercy Killing

Perhaps one of the most divisive crimes in this list is that of Saskatchewan farmer Robert Latimer. Set to serve a life sentence for the muder of his 13-year-old daughter, Tracy, the case divided Canada during the ’90s and continues to do so today. Latimer’s defense plea for Tracy’s death was that is was a mercy killing. Born in 1980, Tracy suffered severe cerebral palsy from birth, brought on my a lack of oxygen during labour. She suffered numerous seizures daily, and most medical experts agreed her life was one of perpetual pain.

In October 1983, her mother found Tracy dead after returning from church. While the rest of the family had gone to service, Robert had stayed home to look after his daughter. Insisting that she had died in her sleep, Robert changed his story after police carried out an autopsy and found carbon monoxide in her blood, and admitted he had killed Tracy by putting her in his cab and connecting a hose to his exhaust. Latimer was charged with second-degree murder and convicted in 1984, yet due to doubts about the jury a retrial was ordered. This took place in 1997, and again Latimer was found guilty of second-degree murder and jailed for life.

Number 6

The Black Donnelly Massacre

One of the most infamous crimes in Canadian history is that associated with the Donnelly family, otherwise known as the Black Donnellys. An immigrant family from Ireland, the Donnellys became ingrained in Canadian history in February 1880, with the massacre of much of their family by around 30 vigilantes from the town of Biddulph, Ontario. Five members of the Donnelly familiy were killed, including their 21-year-old niece, Bridget.

The event that triggered the muders of father James, mother Johannah, brothers John and Thomas, and niece Bridget was the killing of Patrick Farrell by James Donnelly. Caused by an argument over the stagecoach lines that Donnelly and Farrell were in competition over, Donnelly to into a drunken fight with Farrell and ended up clubbing him with a handspike. Donnelly went into hiding, although he later gave himself up and served seven years for the murder. Any crime that happened in Biddulph was subsequently blamed on the Donnellys. Although it was later proven that the Biddulph Peace Society itself had actually committed many of them.

On the night of the Donnelly massacre, the town’s police constable, James Carroll, led the gathered vigilantes to the Donnelly household where they clubbed James, Johannah, Tom and Bridget to death, then set the house on fire. They then made their way to Will Donnelly’s house, but actually killed John Donnelly instead when he answered the door. Instead of a trial, the prosecution dropped the case, not wanting any more adverse publicity for the town, and the case remains a taboo subject to this day.

Number 5

Dawson Shooting

On September 13, 2006, Kimveer Gill marched into Dawson College in Montreal and opened fire in the main building. By the time the shooting stopped, Gill had killed an 18-year-old student, Anastasia de Sousa, as well as injuring 19 others. Police shot him in the arm, before he turned his weapon on himself.

Investigations into Gill after the shootings showed that he had been part of the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in 1999, before being deemed unsuitable for the Armed Forces. He later joined the website VampireFreaks.com, where he called himself the Angel of Death. It was also discovered that he had made plans for similar attacks at other schools and universities across the city, including the Université de Montreal.

Number 4

The Case of the Missing Lower Mainland Children

Any rape or murder is horrific enough, but when it involves children and adolescents it takes on a whole new level of notoriety. This is particularly true of Vancouver resident Clifford Olson, serving 11 life sentences for murder and rape. His victims included 9-year-old Simon Partington, who was abducted and strangled and 10 other victims whose ages ranged from 12-year-old Christine Weller to 18-year-old German tourist Sigrun Arnd. Olson had a long line of crimes already behind him when he was arrested in 1981, on the charges of attempting to abduct two more girls. What makes this case especially distasteful is that the Canadian authorities agreed to a deal with Olson, upin which his wife received $10,000 for every victim Olson confessed to abducting.

Number 3

FLQ Kidnapping and Murder

Montreal trade union leader Paul Rose was part of a four-man group that kidnapped and subsequently murdered Pierre Laporte, the Vice Minister of Quebec, in 1970. Rose was a member of the terrorist group Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ), which demanded Quebec sovereignty. The FLQ was responsible for over 200 bombings in the ’60s, as well as the 1970 kidnapping of the British Trade Commissioner, James Cross, later released after a deal was made to give the kidnappers safe passage to Cuba.

The murder of Laporte came from the belief that more people would join the uprising against the Canadian government, much like Fidel Castro had orchestrated in Cuba. Captured and jailed for life in 1971, Rose was paroled in 1982, and today he is part of the SCSN Labour Union and still believes strongly in independence for Quebec.

Number 2

École Polytechnique Massacre

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is one of the reasons many people are victims of crime. Such was the sad fact surrounding the massacre at École Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6, 1989. On that day, gunman Marc Lepine shot and killed 14 women in cold blood, as well as injuring a further 10 women and four men, before committing suicide.

Lapine entered the school armed with a semi-automatic rifle and walked into a classroom on the second floor. He then separated the men and the women into two groups. Ordering the men to leave, Lepine opened fire on the nine remaining women, killing six immediately and wounding the remaining three. Moving on through the school, his rampage left a further eight victims dead and 11 injured. When he had finished his spree, Lapine then turned his gun on himself. On his body was a suicide note in which Lepine stated that his motives were pure and simple – he hated women, especially feminists who had “ruined his life”.

Number 1

Barbie and Ken Murders

They say that the vows of marriage should never be taken lightly. Unfortunately, Ontario citizens Paul Bernado and his wife Karla Homolka took “in life and in death” to a whole new level. When Bernado was jailed for life in 1995, he was found guilty of the rape and murder of  Tammy Lynn Homolka (Karla’s sister), Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy. That Homolka’s sister was one of the victims isn’t the worst part 0 the fact that Karla herself assisted her husband in his murder spree takes the twisted cake.

Helping Bernado included videotaping the whole event – in total, six tapes were found at the couple’s home and were subsequently used in their conviction. Although never proven, Bernado was also suspected of being the infamous Scarborough Rapist, and perhaps even involved in 10 other separate sexual assault cases. Due to the deal that she struck with the prosecution that saw her testify against Bernado, Homolka was only sentenced to 12 years on manslaughter charges, and was released in 2005. Bernado is unlikely to ever see the light of day.

Canuck Criminals

While you may not think of Canada as a violent nation, we have our share of skeletons in the closet. We are neither proud nor pleased with our infamous criminals, but it’s also something we don’t wish to hide. In most cases, our justice system prevailed and horrendous offenders have met horrendous sentences. No country is perfect, and the above Canadian individuals are proof.

What do you think? Are you worried that you could become a victim to a serious crime in Canada? Or do you feel safe?

If you don’t have a security system or don’t have it monitored, call me for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be glad you did!

Ulli Robson, Security Specialist, (780) 288-2986.

www.SafewithUlli.com

 

FBI Warning: Don’t Update Software on the Road

My brother in Germany, who’s career requires frequent travel and Hotel accomodations, sent me the German version of this week’s blog post.

Especially if you are a business traveler, you might want to pay attention to the following article. (Posted by Fahmida Y. Rashid, May 9, 2012, Security Watch)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning travelers to watch out for fake and malicious software update messages when connecting to the wireless network at their hotels.

Masquerading as a software update to “widely-used software,” the malware displays a pop-up window when the guest tries to connect to the hotel’s wireless network, the Internet Crime Complaint Centre warned in an Intelligence Note on May 8. Most hotels require a guest to open a Web browser and login, or accept the terms of service, before allowing the guest to connect to the wireless network.

It appears that cyber-criminals found a way to inject themselves into this connection process. The IC3 did not specify whether the hotel website had been hacked or if the criminals were using other techniques. The Intelligence Note also did not specify the name of the software being spoofed by the malware or the countries in which these attacks had been observed.

“The FBI recommends that all government, private industry, and academic personnel who travel abroad take extra caution before updating software products on their hotel Internet connection,” the IC3 said in a warning.

IC3 is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center and regularly releases Intelligence Notes to warn Internet users about cyber-security threats. Anyone who may have encountered this type of attack is encouraged to promptly report it to the local FBI office, IC3 said.

How to be Safe

The FBI recommended that travelers perform all software updates before traveling and to avoid downloading any updates while on the road. If it’s necessary to run an update, the user should navigate directly to the vendor’s website to download the latest files instead of clicking on pop-up windows, according to the warning.

Just before leaving, users should make sure the antivirus and security software is up-to-date and that the latest patches for the operating system and applications have been applied, according to Stephen Cobb, a security evangelist at ESET.  A full back-up of the laptop wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Users should be just as careful on any public Wi-Fi network and ignore software update requests on those networks, according to the Mac security experts at Intego.

Malware Targeting Hotels

While it isn’t explicitly stated, the FBI warning is a reminder that industrial espionage when traveling abroad is a serious threat. Many executives and business travelers have reported being infected by information-stealing malware that targeted corporate and sensitive information on their laptops.

If you don’t have a security system or don’t have it monitored, call me for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be glad you did!

Ulli Robson, Security Specialist, (780) 288-2986.

www.SafewithUlli.com

You Must Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning!

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is the NUMBER ONE cause of accidental poisoning deaths in North America. Know the facts!

Every year hundreds of people die from accidental exposure to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. In fact, carbon monoxide from motor-vehicle exhausts is the main cause of poisoning deaths in the United States.

Carbon monoxide is a gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. It is a toxic gas that replaces the oxygen in our blood, causing the body to suffocate from the inside. Most people have no idea they are exposed to a high level of carbon monoxide until it’s too late.

CO is produced by gas or oil furnaces, space and water heaters, clothes dryers, ovens, wood stoves and other household appliances that run on fossil fuels such as wood, gas, oil or coal.

Why is Carbon Monoxide so deadly?

Because carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless and toxic gas, poisoning can happen to anyone, any time, anywhere. Everyone is at risk but pregnant women, young children, handicapped individuals, senior citizens and people with heart and lung problems are at greater risk.

Again, most people have no idea they are exposed to a high level of CO until it is too late. Symptoms of mild acute poisoning include headaches, vertigo and flu-like effects. Tiredness, nausea or vomiting and shortness of breath are early warning signs of CO poisoning. Your skin may turn pink or red in response to rising blood pressure. Larger exposures can lead to significant toxicity of the central nervous system, heart and death. Do not ignore any of these symptoms and call 9-1-1.

Many people surviving high exposure to carbon monoxide are left with devastating after-effects such as learning disabilities, memory and skills loss, and coronary and respiratory problems.

Protect yourself!

Install at least one UL listed carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home, especially outside sleeping areas.

Have a qualified service technician inspect and clean your fuel-burning appliances, furnace, vent pipe and chimney flues once a year. Bird’s nests, twigs and old mortar in chimneys can block proper ventilation and lead to build-up of carbon monoxide gas in your home.

NEVER run engines in a garage, even if the garage door is open.

Regularly check the exhaust and emission system in your vehicles.

What to do if the CO detector alarm goes off?

If the Carbon Monoxide alarm sounds, everyone must leave your home immediately. Once outside, call 9-1-1. Do NOT go back inside until the cause for the CO alarm has been found and corrected. Leave it up to the Fire Services to find the source of the carbon monoxide.

If you have a security system, ask your security provider to add carbon monoixe monitoring to your service.

If you don’t have a security system or don’t have it monitored, call me for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be glad you did!

Ulli Robson, Security Specialist, (780) 288-2986.

www.SafewithUlli.com

WINE FRAUD

Did you know that the global estimate of counterfeit wine is between $6 Million and $30 Million?

Would you have guessed that between one percent and nine percent of all liquor is counterfeit, according to EU estimates?

I was intrigued by a recent article in VUE WEEKLY (Author: Mel Priestley) and decided to share a few paragraphs here:

There’s an oft-quoted joke in the wine business that Las Vegas restaurants sell more bottles of 1982 Chateau Petrus every year than were ever actually made by the top Bordeaux winery. It’s an unfounded claim – albeit a disturbingly believable one – but nevertheless highlights a widespread problem in the wine world: counterfeits.

Wine fraud is often considered a problem that only wealthy collectors need to worry about. After all, like Petrus, the most expensive wines are usually the most counterfeited. (This usually takes the form of either bottles with fake labels, or authentic empty bottles re-filled with something else.) These wines are often sold at the big auction houses in major centres like London, New York and San Francisco, so how could it possibly affect someone buying a $15 bottle of Argentinean Malbec from their local wine shop?

Last month wine enthusiasts around the world were rocked by the news that one of their most prominent members was arrested for fraud: Rudy Kurniawan, a 35-year-old Indonesia-born wine collector, was arrested on March 8 and charged with five counts of wire and mail fraud, including selling $1.3 Million of fake wine. If convicted of all charges, he faces 20 years in prison.

Arriving on the American wine scene in the early 2000s, Kurniawan claimed to be the son of a wealthy Chinese businessman and that “Kurniawan” was an assumed name. Despite these mysterious origins, he quickly rose to power as a regular buyer and seller of the most expensive wines at auctions throughout the United States. Kurniawan enjoyed a privileged life that precious few can claim: his mansion in Arcadia, California had a Lamborhini, a Mercedes-Benz and a Range Rover in the garage; he racked up $16 Million in American Express bills between 2006 and 2011 and ran up $11 Million in debt in 2007 alone; his elite clientele included billionaire William I Koch; and, in what is now a hilarious case of dramatic irony, he had a recognized “talent” for sniffing out fake wines and was often asked to be arbiter over the veracity of prized bottles.

Major Incidents of Wine Fraud

Red Bicyclette/Pinotgate:

• In 2010, French wine broker Ducasse Wine Merchants passed off cheap Merlot and Syrah as harder-to-make Pinot Noir
• Ducasse sold the wine to wholesaler Sieur d’Arques, which in turn sold 18 Million bottles worth to American company E & J Gallo
• Gallo sold the wine under the 2006 vintage of its Red Bicyclette  label as 85% Pinot Noir
• Red Bicyclette sells for $8 per bottle
• Authorities estimate that Claude Courset, owner of Ducasse, made 7 Million Euros through the scam
• Courset and 11 others were convicted of the fraud charges

Georges DuBoeuf Blending Scandal:

• The so-called “King of Beaujolais” was fined 30,000 Euros in July 2006 for illegal blending
• His estate mixed different wines of varying quality in order to disguise the bad 2004 vintage
• DuBoeuf claimed the incident was an accident due to human error.
• Supposedly none of the blended wine was marketed or sold.

Billionaire’s Vinegar:

• In 2006, American billionaire William I Koch filed a lawsuit against wine collector and trader Hardy Rodenstock for four bottles of wine that had allegedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson, but were revealed to be counterfeit
• The bottles originated with Rodenstock, whom Koch claimed had been orchastrating an ongoing scheme to defraud wine collectors
• The matter remains unsettled in court
• In 2008, Random House published a book on this incident, entitled the Billionaire’s Vinegar, written by Benjamin Wallace
• The film rights were bought by a Hollywood consortium

Mont Tauch:

• In 2010, 400,000 counterfeit bottles of this premium French wine were released in the Chinese market

The prevalence of counterfeited collector wines also serves to keep prices of these wines expensive, so most people have no hope in hell of ever affording one. While some might not care about this, it’s a real shame for wine enthusiasts without an unlimited disposable income.

If you do have a rare collector wine in your posession, I would hope you have it secured. Be careful with whom you share that information. You want to avoid a targeted break-and-enter!

If you don’t have a security system or don’t have it monitored, call me for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be glad you did!

Ulli Robson, Security Specialist, (780) 288-2986.

www.SafewithUlli.com

3 Minutes Could Save Your Life

Unlike 25 years ago, a house fire today can turn deadly in as little as 3 minutes. When you consider it will take the fire department 7 minutes or more to respond, learning how to prevent, detect and escape a fire has never been more critical.

Learn how to be Fire Safe! Start now by clicking the link below:

3minutedrill.alberta.ca – Brought to you by Alberta’s Partners in Fire Prevention.

Did you know that a monitored smoke detector tied to your security system will send a signal to your monitoring station in case of a fire and the fire department can be dispatched. Have you considered that a monitored smoke detector can be a life saver for you and your loved ones?

If you don’t have a security system or don’t have it monitored, call me for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be glad you did!

Ulli Robson, Security Specialist, (780) 288-2986.

Anti-theft Licence Plates

Do you realize that you and your family will be at serious risk if your licence plate gets taken to be used on a stolen vehicle or is involved with other criminal activity?

Installing a licence plate is simple. Unfortunately, that means it can be removed just as easily. Be aware of the dangers associated with a stolen licence plate!

Licence plate security is an issue for anyone. The very least, you will be inconvenienced. Worst case scenario, you could be a suspect in a major crime that you never committed.

Thefts from vehicles are common crimes of opportunity that happen fast and at any time. According to Edmonton Police Service, each year in Edmonton 3,000 to 4,000 licence plates are stolen.

Why would someone steal a licence plate?

• Acts of Nuisance – Sometimes the cause for a stolen licence plate is simply someone trying to cause trouble. It could be a dare amongst students. They may be stealing random plates just to be a nuisance.
• Disguising a Stolen Car – The culprit is trying to make a stolen vehicle look legimate. Criminals may steal a car and then steal a licence plate from a vehicle that resembles the stolen one. This way the licence plate will match the vehicle description. The car will go undetected as stolen until the owner realizes their plate has been stolen and files a report to police.
• Committing other Crimes – If a thief is looking to commit crimes that require a car, they sometimes steal a licence plate first. If a witness to the crime provides police with a licence plate number, it won’t connect the criminals to the crime.
• Gas and Dash – Thieves realize that almost every gas station is fitted with CCTV cameras to minimize fuel theft. Using a stolen licence plate on their vehicle won’t tie them to the crime after a drive-off.
• Armed Robbery or Kidnapping – These serious criminal offences often involve a stolen licence plate to avoid detection.
• Avoiding Traffic Violation Charges – If a criminal is driving around with your licence plate on their car, they can storm past photo radars with the speeding ticket going to you. If they run red lights or violate parking restrictions, fines will be mailed to you as the registered owner of the licence plate.

How to decrease your chance of having your licence plate stolen

1. Use anti-theft licence plate screws – Anti-theft licence plate screws are designed to allow anyone to use a screwdriver to put the plates on with the screws, but require a specialized tool – only available to police and authorized partners – to remove the licence plate screws. The plate screws are free at all EPS Divisional stations (information  taken from www.edmontonpolice.ca).
2. Park in well-lit areas.
3. Park in well-populated areas.
4. Keep the rear of your vehicle adjacent to driving lanes. Don’t back in or pull through parking spots.
5. Check your licence plate regularly.

If you don’t have a security system or don’t have it monitored, call me for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be glad you did!

Ulli Robson, Security Specialist, (780) 288-2986.