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round Swimming Pools

When it comes to pool safety, the most important concern to keep top of mind is preventing accidental drowning. While it’s often portrayed as dramatic, loud and very eye-catching in the movies, in real-life drowning is often silent. 

Another safety concern when using an above ground swimming pool (for example:  COLEMAN POOLS  )is safe ladder use. Falling from a pool ladder can result in cuts, bruises, scrapes, broken bones and even head injuries. You’ll also want to ensure children stay clear of any drains or pumps attached to your pool in order to prevent injuries.

While they are generally considered safe when used with care and according to the manufacturer’s instructions, injuries can and do still occur.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) estimates there were approximately 1,743 injuries to children under the age of 18 caused by above ground and inflatable pools that were treated in United States hospitals in 2014.

In addition, the 2013 Pool and Spa Submersion: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities Report from the CPSC found that on average 390 children under the age of 15 died as a result of drowning between 2008 and 2010. The CPSC reports drownings are the second leading cause of accidental death around the home for children under 5 years of age, with it being the the leading cause of accidental death in the home in some warm weather states.

The number of actual injuries caused by pools is likely quite higher than reported, as the data from the CPSC only looked at those injuries which resulted in medical treatment at a hospital, and minor injuries were likely treated at home or another medical treatment facility not included in the reporting data.

Depending on what state you live in, there are varying codes for pool setup, maintenance and safety measures. Be sure to research what the standards are and what’s required before purchasing your pool.

When Purchasing

Safety standards for pools have been created by a mix of consumer groups, government agencies, and manufacturers and are completely voluntary. Look for a sticker on your pool that tells you it’s been approved by CSA, ASTM, UL or some other such safety association. The Pool and Spa Safety Act was designed to help prevent drain entrapments and eviscerations in public pools and spas and has been in effect for all public pools since 2008. The ASTM Committee F15 on Consumer Products has also created standards for pool and spa safety covers, permanent barrier fencing, and pool alarms.

Aftermarket products, such as locking pool covers, can help prevent accidental drownings when the pool is not in use. You may also want to invest in fencing with an auto-locking gate to further increase safety. Depending on your local state and municipality laws, fencing may be a requirement – be sure to check with local authorities before installing your pool. You can also purchase underwater alarms that sense when a person is drowning and send out a loud signal.

If your pool came with a warranty or registration card, make sure to complete the form and mail it in to the manufacturer. This way, you’ll be notified of any recalls or other safety information in the event of a problem with your model. Surveys done by Consumer Reports National Research Center show that most people seldom or never take this essential safety step.

Have a trained professional install your pool and ensure you’ve made allowances for any space or other clearance requirements necessary for safe installation. If possible your pool should also have its own dedicated spot on your electrical circuit (with a GFCI outlet) to prevent power overloads and other electrical problems.

When Using

Drowning can happen to adults and children alike, no matter how deep the water inside of the pool is, and takes just seconds to occur. Drowning deaths are almost always preventable, so it’s crucial to practice certain safety measures each and every time you use your pool.

Do not swim in your pool if you are under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or certain prescription medications. You should also not supervise young children if you are under the influence, as your reaction time may be delayed.

Teach children basic water safety tips and consider investing in swimming lessons so they have valuable lifesaving skills.

Do not leave children unattended in a pool. If your youngsters are not strong swimmers, you may want to fit them with a personal flotation device before they enter the water. Water wings are not an acceptable flotation device.

Ensure long hair, loose clothes and jewelry are tied back or removed. Institute a “no-horseplay zone” around and in the pool in order to keep little ones safe.

Remove the ladder from your pool when not in use to prevent children from climbing up and accidentally injuring themselves.

Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation, use and cleaning of your pool, and don’t hesitate to contact them if you have a question about something specific that isn’t covered in your user manual.

When Cleaning

Ensure there is adequate ventilation before you begin cleaning or adding chemicals to your pool. The fumes from many pool cleaning chemicals can be toxic and make you ill.

Use chemicals with the appropriate measurements to maintain a healthy PH and store them out of reach of children. Keep them out of direct sunlight and in their original packaging.

Thoroughly remove any residue from cleaning products before you use your pool to swim again.

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Two best portable power bank

1. Anker PowerCore+ mini is our pick of the best portable power bank in 2017. This is an eye-catching device. It also has a portable class-leading design with a durable aluminum case. If you depend on power banks to charge your phone(s), this one will serve you well for long. Finally, because of its dependability, it is one of the best chargers for use at home or at work. It will charge you phone fast and safely.

Even though compact, you get a powerful power bank (like GOAL ZERO GUIDE 10 PLUS SOLAR KIT ) with a high-speed system. Whether you have an iOS or an Android smartphone, it will save you a lot of time. Its PowerIQ technology, on the other hand, optimizes charge output. This protects phones from overcharging whilst it is in use.

The premium 3350mAh cells that Anker PowerCore+ Mini uses are among the best. They are durable. They also deliver a full charge to most phones and have safety designs that do not overheat or explode under pressure.

Anker PowerCore+ Mini is an affordable power bank. Most people can afford the paltry amounts charged in web stores such as Amazon. Each package has a free micro USB cable, an 18-month warranty, and a travel pouch

2.To own one of Anker’s top-rated power banks, PowerCore 20100 charger is one of its best sellers. Even though heavy (12.5 ounces), the 20100mAh battery pack that you get will solve all your phone-charging issues. The iPhone 7, for instance, gets almost seven full charges from this power bank. Samsung Galaxy 6 and iPad mini, on the other hand, get five and two full charges respectively. Most comparable power banks cannot match this.

Featuring both VoltageBoost and PowerIQ charging technologies, Anker PowerCore 20100 is among the best in this niche. Devoid of the phone that you have, for instance, it charges fast. Overall, you get up to four times your phone’s charging speeds. This comes at a cost, though. Fast 2A chargers recharge Anker PowerCore 20100 in 10 hours. Low-powered 1A ones, on the other hand, can take up to 20 hours.

With this power bank, phone safety never an issue. The quality parts used to make it, for instance, do not overheat and or explode easily. It also has a MultiProtect technology that protects phones from overcharging.

The durable travel pouch that Anker PowerCore 20100 comes with comes in handy during transportation. It secures it well. It also protects it from harsh elements that might damage its system outdoors. You also get a warranty card (18 months), a detailed welcoming guide, and a free micro USB cable.

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MOULTRIE ALL IN ONE TIMER KIT

Really impressed with this MOULTRIE ALL IN ONE TIMER KIT . Was recommended to me by a family member and so far it's fantastic. You can tell lots of thought went into the engineering, lots of nice little touches that they could have skipped but didn't. Also telling that they include batteries and a template for mounting. I wanted to set up a small hanging feeder without investing a ton of money. This is perfect, although I would not hesitate to put it on a much more expensive/elaborate setup. In my case I mounted it to a small metal trashcan and suspended it from a tree. And for me it works great- the can holds about a 40# bag of corn. Since this is the off season I have it set to run for 3 seconds once a day, and it seems (as per the manual) that equates to about a 1/2#, so at that rate I'll only be refilling every other month. So for about $27 I have great feeder setup and I'm very happy. I see no cons to this timer/feeder at all. I would have been happy at twice the price.

★ FEATURES

Digital timer programs up to 4 feed times per day, 1 to 20 seconds each

Adjustable mount, metal spin plate and funnel, ABS plastic housing

External power port, solar panel connectors

★ FEATURES

Test button for easy setup

Four (4) AA alkaline batteries included

More feed control

Compatible with solar panel

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American boy born prematurely at London hospital donates gifts to vulnerable babies

He and father Myron visited St Thomas’ in Lambeth, where the trust’s neonatal unit is now based, to hand them out.

Jackson said: “In my bedroom I still have the quilt that was given to me when I was a baby. My parents told me how lucky I was and about the people in London who helped me. To become an Eagle Scout I needed to do a community project, and I wanted to do something significant to my life.

An American boy who was born prematurely at a London hospital has returned to the capital to donate gifts for other vulnerable babies.

Jackson Cloyd, 13, flew from Houston, Texas, to hand over handmade patchwork quilts to maternity staff at St Thomas’ hospital. Thirteen years ago he had gone home wrapped in a similar charity blanket, given to his parents by midwife Mary Mulkerrins.

Jackson weighed just 1lb 10oz when he was born three months early at Guy’s Hospital in 2000, while his parents were on holiday.

Defying expectations, he survived. His mother Gwendolyn died of cancer in 2008. As a tribute, the Boy Scout made blankets to deliver to the hospital staff who saved his life.

He and father Myron visited St Thomas’ in Lambeth, where the trust’s neonatal unit is now based, to hand them out.

Jackson said: “In my bedroom I still have the quilt that was given to me when I was a baby. My parents told me how lucky I was and about the people in London who helped me. To become an Eagle Scout I needed to do a community project, and I wanted to do something significant to my life.

“My dad and I had the idea about the quilts to show staff how grateful we are, and to honour my mum.”

Ms Mulkerrins, a bereavement midwife at Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust, said: “My neighbour at the time was in a quilting group and made them for the hospital. I gave Jackson’s mother one when she was worried they had no clothes or blankets for him.

“It was overwhelming to see Jackson after 13 years and receive the beautiful quilts he made for other tiny babies. It’s so sad his mother could not return.”

Myron said: “We gave thanks to everyone on my wife’s behalf. The care and support at Guy’s was beyond definition. The love they showed sustained us.”

Professor Andrew Shennan, the obstetrician who looked after Jackson, said: “It is a rare treat to meet the babies we care for when they’ve grown up. Jackson is a fighter.”

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Remote vs On-Site: Where Should Your Next CMO Work?

Remote work is on the rise across the board, and for a good reason. But if you think your next Chief Marketing Officer executive search should be for a virtual leader, you should probably reconsider.

The Impact of the Digital Workplace on Marketing

In the U.S. alone, about 25 million professionals will work mostly or entirely from a remote location this year. It’s a growing trend across nearly all industries, in organizations of all shapes and sizes.

Faster, more reliable internet available to a wider audience means that most households are now capable of transforming into a virtual office with minimal investment. Virtual work is further enabled by the evolution of video conferencing, instant message platforms, secure document sharing, and a rapidly growing selection of collaboration and project management tools.

Marketing in particular is an especially viable field for work flexibility and remote contributions. Most marketing production today is digital, creative, strategic, or analytical–rarely anything that requires a physical presence or tangible output. As marketing recruitment consultants, we’ve placed a number of great marketing professionals on a remote basis ourselves.

In fact, greater adoption of telecommuting options, when applied and managed strategically, may ultimately improve the effectiveness and productivity of a marketing department. Consider:

Work flexibility isn’t just a huge draw for top marketing talent, it’s becoming an expectation. As marketing recruitment consultants, we’re seeing more and more of marketing’s top performers valuing flexibility in where and when they work as much or more than salary. If you want to attract the best, you have to be able to offer what they want.

All else being equal, remote marketing employees are cheaper to your business than those that report into a physical location every day. On-site staff need space: a workspace, break rooms, meeting areas, rest rooms, etc. You have to provide them with a desk, a phone line, office supplies, and more. And don’t forget other office perks: coffee, pizza day, birthday celebrations…the list goes on. No one of those things is particularly expensive–but they add up fast. A team member contributing virtually incurs far fewer costs (not to mention they’ll never be late due to traffic!).

Opening your marketing department to remote work dramatically grows the potential talent pool. If the best candidate for a job is across the state or across the country, you no longer have to settle for a less-qualified marketer that happens to be nearby.

The ability to work remotely can have a big impact on team morale and productivity. It’s a low-cost way to significantly add value and job satisfaction to your marketing staff. It’s also a great reward/incentive for team members that show themselves to be diligent and reliable. Remote workers are about twice as likely to love their job than their in-office counterparts. As job satisfaction increases, turnover costs shrink. And professionals working from home have lower rates of absenteeism.

The Implications for Marketing Executive Recruitment

It’s not hard to imagine a diligent social media marketer, copywriter, or analytics specialist effectively contributing from their home or a nearby coffee shop. But what about senior marketing leaders like the CMO? With all the new technology and management techniques emerging, could a marketing executive be just as effective virtually as on-site?

As a Chief Marketing Officer executive search firm, we frequently get asked by clients whether we recommend opening a search up to remote/virtual candidates.

Our answer as marketing recruitment consultants is almost always a definitive “No.”

The reality is that most marketing heads simply can not be fully effective when working away from the office full time. The downsides outweigh the benefits.

Our reasoning is simple. In most cases, a business’s marketing operations are concentrated in one place–often a single building or floor. That has the obvious advantages of fostering close collaboration and communication. But it also creates an environment ripe for groupthink and an “us vs them” mentality. Marketing leaders need an active, hands-on management style to feel the pulse of their department and keep their team oriented in the right direction.

A head of marketing that is physically removed from the team is too likely to be perceived as “out of touch” with the reality of their day-to-day work and challenges. Inevitably, resentment builds over time and productivity is lost.

Perhaps in the near future technology will mature to a point that empowers senior marketing executives to lead from a virtual location while remaining immersed in the culture and mindset of their team. But we’re simply not there yet.

The Exception to the Rule

Despite the obstacles, there is one situation where a CMO or other top marketing executive could foreseeably work on a remote basis without suffering the negative side effects listed above.

I previously described the typical scenario where a business’s marketing will be based mostly or entirely in a small number of locations. However, there are some situations where this is not the case. For instance, imagine a corporation comprised of several companies that were acquired around the world, or a growing startup that has been assembled mostly from remote employees from its inception.

In cases like these, the marketing team will already be dispersed across multiple locations. If your business’s marketing operations are spread across multiple geographically separate divisions and teams, then you’re less likely to face a problematic cultural difference that spirals out of control.

In that rare case, a CMO could potentially operate with comparable effectiveness almost anywhere–including the comfort of their own home.

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Why Having No Massive Transformative Purpose Will Kill Your Company

Imagine a life where your basic needs are taken care of but you have nothing more to strive for. Nothing greater that you’re aspiring to achieve. Sounds like a mundane and purposeless life to me. That’s most likely the state you’d like to avoid in your life. Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in which he talked about the level of “self-actualization” where having a reason to achieve greatness was important and which everyone was aiming for? That’s exactly how organizations work, or should work. Once they’ve taken care of their basic requirements (return on investments, market share and profitability) they need to strive for something important, something greater. And that’s why all organizations need a Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP).

How the Digital Age is Changing Everything

In the digital age that you currently operate in the first step that every organization needs to take is a conscious step towards Digital Transformation. It’s unavoidable and necessary. And no it’s not as simple as embracing new standards or installing new digital technologies. It’s much more. Digital Transformation entails the awareness that your organization needs to be agile and continuously drive change which can be achieved by constant research and harvesting a transformational environment.

Remaining static, with your processes, policies, management style, business model, and even your purpose is suicide. There’s no other way to look at it. It’s simply going to lead to your organization’s demise (and it won’t be slow or gradual). In contrast, empowering your organization with agility, flexibility and digital awareness will enable it to acquire digital advancements rapidly and promptly enough to harness it’s abilities in its favor. Sure it would require you to undergo several change management cycles and revisits of your corporate strategies, but that’s the only way you’ll survive or remain relevant.

What is a Massive Transformative Purpose?

Amongst other things, all ‘great’ organizations have one thing in common – they all have a well-defined Massive Transformative Purpose. What is a MTP? Quite simply, an MTP is an outrageously and highly aspirational motto. It’s an audaciously huge purpose statement that an organization, individual, community or social movement strives for.

Tesla, Inc. states that “our mission is to accelerate transition to sustainable transport”. Google has a strong MTP that aims to “organize the world’s information”. With such bold and strong MTPs these companies have embraced Digital Transformation and leveraged it to transform the world. You could say that what such organizations are aiming to achieve is hardly possible for a single organization – it’ll take the efforts of many such organizations to collectively create such an impact. But nonetheless it hasn’t prevented them from defining such bold and aspirational MTPs.

So how do you go about establishing your organization’s MTP? An aspect to keep in mind is that it has to be audaciously big. Hence, what it can’t be is technology specific, narrow, aimed at what can be achieved today or motivated by profits. It’s way, way beyond all that. It’s a statement that’s all encompassing, and beyond your current scope and capabilities. It’s so broad that you won’t be able to achieve it in the near future, but it’s something that you’re striving for.

Why It’s Important To You?

I’ve often talked about how motivating your talent can be an uphill struggle if they aren’t challenged enough or given meaningful purpose to strive for. One thing that always fuels passion in talented people is their hunger to achieve greatness. Do something that they can be proud of. Something that’s unique and gives them purpose. That’s where your organization’s MTP comes in.

The more you structure yourself and your organization around a massive transformative purpose the harder and more dedicated your people will work. They’ll feel more fulfilled with their jobs. And of course, you’ll have a better chance of aligning your people around a corporate goal that’s based on your MTP. It’s about creating an impact on the planet that hits home deeper in the hearts of people. When they know their contributions will impact society and the ecosystem more positively, they’ll work endlessly to ensure your organization’s success.

With your team pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to achieve and aiming for greatness you can be sure that your organization can harness their passion to gain competitive advantage. Such “big thinking”, rapid technology absorption and organizational agility will enable your organization to vastly differentiate itself from competitors. In fact, with a purpose than has mass appeal you’ll not only drive exponential performance from your employees, you’ll be winning over consumer trust and attention.

The days of aiming for profitability and making a few quick millions are far behind us. In an era of high consumer awareness and empowerment, altering demands and rapidly changing technologies the key for survival is aiming for something that’s massively bigger than you and your organization. And for that you’ll need to define your Massive Transformative Purpose and keep redefining it.

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A Tip to Keep You From Asking Questionable Questions and Looking Like a Dummy

I’ve been seeing a lot of sentences like this lately:

Pronouns and adverbs like who, what, when, where, and how are often the first words in an interrogative (question); we all know that instinctively. However, just because the first word in a sentence is one of these words, the sentence isn’t automatically a question.

I don’t know if there is some grammar correct app or autocorrect feature that is turning every sentence that begins with “how” or “what” into a question, but I’m shocked that these are getting by so many writers. Check out this sentence:

What you said yesterday made me laugh.

Today, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this as, “What you said yesterday made me laugh?”

Am I alone here or have you been seeing this more often in recent months as well? I tested autocorrect in Microsoft Word and I also checked to see if this is an error Grammarly might cause someone to make, but I didn’t find that either one of these software systems is guilty of this sentence structure slip up.

Sadly, I’m forced to conclude that people are just making this unforced error. Is it possible that they believe that any time they start a sentence with who, what, when, where, why, or how, they need to put a question mark at the end? Lord, I hope they haven’t been taught this!

I hate to think that we’ve reared a group of writers who would commonly make this mistake. It is such a basic item in grammar and sentence structure, that people should know it simply by osmosis.

Now I’ll step off my soapbox of judgment for a moment. If you’re writing fast and are a creature of habit, perhaps this is a mistake you could make. Check your work. Read it aloud to yourself. You’ll catch these if you do the natural upward inflection when you come to a question mark…unless you’re an adherent of Valley Speak and end every sentence with an upward inflection. (Damn, I promised to get off my soapbox of judgment! Sorry.)

Finally, there is one other possible culprit behind this interrogative mystery: People are actually trying to construct a question and they’ve dropped the ball. In this case, writers need to know that just because you start a sentence with one of these words and end it with a question mark, it doesn’t automatically become a legitimate question.

In the example from my little screen capture clip, the writer would need to reword the sentence to something like:

How can you make remote working work for you? or

How do you make remote working work for you?

I have been seeing this mistake in headlines and social media posts. I know that we often use questions in these two areas because they tend to engage readers, so maybe people are slapping question marks at the end of statements with the hopes to boost views.

What do you think?