Death by a Video Game

Video games played online often get addictive. In 2005 a young South  Korean man was declared dead after a long stint playing the online version of the game Starcraft. The game is popular in South Korea, and popular gamers are revered. The 28-year-old man in this tragic case had been playing the game for nearly 50 hours none stop  at an Internet café in Taegu, taking only short breaks to nap and use the restroom. He was rushed to a hospital after collapsing, but died shortly thereafter. Medics believed that the cause of death was cardiac arrest brought on by severe exhaustion.

Death by Storm Drain

 In 2008, a tragic bad luck happened on a 57 year old Canadian man after he attempted to retrieve his stolen wallet from a storm sewer drain. The wallet and some other very personal items were stolen after the man left them at a gas station. He called police before finding the wallet in a nearby sewer drain. He tried unsuccessfully to reach it once before the police arrived and cautioned him not to try again because it was too risky. Infact the police told him to go home. But the man did no pay heed, probably because the personal attachment he had to some of the items in the wallet. He later came back , removed the grate and gave it another shot. When an officer investigating the crime noticed the man’s truck had returned, he went to check out the drain and found the man wedged headfirst several feet below the street. The victim was still alive at this point and remained so as firefighters used a tow truck to pull him from the drain. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.

Death by Bra

 Women had better be careful about the kind of bra they wear because they could be wearing something potentially deadly. Two British women lost their lives instantly  after they were struck by a thunderbolt as they took a walk along Hyde Park  in 1999. They had hardly walked for long when a sudden storm  formed and they ran for shelter under a big tree at the park. They had not settled under the tree when a powerful thunderbolt struck, killing both friends. On examination, it was found that both women had metallic wiring in their bras which helped to conduct the massive lightening through them. Their bodies remained under the tree for 15 hours before passers by spotted the corpses.

Death by Deodorant

Deodorants may smell great but any misuse of a deodorant could potentially kill you. In 1998, a 16-year-old English boy died of a heart attack caused by excessive use of a deodorant fume. At the time of his death, the BBC claimed that more than 130 people had already gone on record of having died after purposely inhaling aerosol deodorant products since 1971. In the case of this boy, his obsession with personal hygiene and smelling fresh, was so strong that he would  spray his entire body with deodorant at least two times a day. It got so bad at times that the family of the boy could taste the fumes downstairs but none of them thought their son was obsessed with something dangerous. When an Autopsy was carried out on the boy, it turned out that he had 10 times the lethal amount of butane and propane in his bloodstream.

—THE FLOW OF A PLUMPING SYSTEM—

Your house contains several types of drain systems. You have fixture drains, a soil/vent stack drain, and finally your main drain. Fixture drains are the pipes that drain the wastewater from your sinks, showers and washing appliances. The soil/vent stack is a large vertical pipe that collects all wastewater from the fixture drains and takes it to the main drain in the basement or underneath the concrete slab of your foundation. This pipe is vented up and through your roof. It has a plug near the base of it so you can unclog or clean it out The average size house has only one soil/vent stack, but larger homes may have two or more. Finally, there is the main drain. This drainpipe is the largest and slopes to the lowest point under your house. Once it collects the wastewater from the soil stack, it directs the wastewater from your house to either your city sewer drain or your septic tank.

Just like knowing how your electricity comes into your home, knowing how your plumbing routes through your house is the first step in understanding how to take on plumbing projects. While there is no need to create a map for the plumbing system like your electrical circuit map, you do need to know where to turn the water off for the entire house or to a specific location in case there is ever an emergency. If you are using city- or county-provided water, the house’s main shutoff valve is located inside the meter box. You will usually find the meter box located near the street. However, my meter box IS located halfway down my driveway, 50 yards from the street. Wherever it is, find it now-In an emergency that IS the last thing you need to search for.

Plumbers also install a shut-off valve on your main water line as it comes from the meter box into the house. This is usually found either In your basement or crawl space. From this main water line, smaller lines run throughout your house to feed all the water taps, Including one that fills your water heater. Cold water supply lines come directly off the main water line and feed all the cold water taps. Hot water lines tie into the main line coming from your water heater. These water supply lines go directly to the hot water taps throughout your house.

If you are using well water, then you have a pump that forces the water from the well into a main water line that empties into a storage tank inside your house. To stop water flow to the storage tank, simply turn the pump power switch off or turn the shut off valve off on the main water line. When performing repairs on the pump itself, turn off the electrical breaker for the pump at your main electrical panel.

Whichever way the water gets to the house, you will find a shut-off valve on the water supply lines next to your toilets, sinks and washing appliances. Shut-off valves make it easy and convenient to turn the water off at a specific fixture without cutting of the rest of the house.

Go check the drains of either the kitchen or another bathroom. If two or more fixtures are plugged and won’t clear it is indicative of something lodged down the line in a main drain. If no drains work, it’s time to call a plumber. They will probably start at the so il stack and see if they can flush out the problem at the soil stack plug. This is quite messy and definitely worth the service to have them do it.

Probably the most common blockage Occurs in a trap at the sink or where a pipe makes a turn. Let’s first take a look at unplugging a clogged sink and then the steps in removing a P-trap.

If the plunger “plunging” fails, remove the P-trap. The P-trap is the u-shaped section of Pipe located under the sink. You will find P-traps under tubs and sinks.

Sooner or later, due t o wear and tear, or that sinking feeling of a ring or earring falling down the drain, you’ll need to take apart a trap.

Trap pipes fit together with slip-joint connections. These types of connections let you twist and turn the components so that they align correctly. You secure the assembly with the slip nuts.

—STEP ONE—

First, try to use a sink plunger to get that clog out of there. You will need to remove the drain stopper if your sink has one. Use a cloth to plug the overflow vent-this helps increase the plunger’s suction.

—STEP TWO—

A little trick you can also do to get better suction is to apply petroleum jelly to the rim of the plunger. This will seal up any uneven gaps around the plunger once you place it over the drain opening.

—STEP THREE—

If this doesn’t work, it’s time to get out the gloves and get down to business. Time to pullout the old trusty coat hanger. This is a great tool for cleaning out the P-trap of the drain pipe.

—STEP FOUR—

Or if the clog is not found immediately in the drain pipe under the sink, then using a sink auger will hopefully hit the clog in the pipes behind the wall and push it on through.

—STEP FIVE—

Starting at the P-trap, loosen the washer and nut securing the pipes together. You may need to use an adjustable wrench to loosen them.

—STEP SIX—

Now water is going to drain out as you loosen it, so have a bucket underneath the pipe to catch all the dirty water.

—STEP SEVEN—

Using the coat hanger, push it through the bend in the P-trap where the clog could have formed. Trust me, you want to do this over that bucket!

—STEP EIGHT—

If the clog isn’t in the P-trap, then disconnect the drain pipe that is feeding into the wall. Again, you may have to use a wrench to loosen this connections.

—STEP NINE—

Stretch out some of the sink auger cable, about 2 to 3 feet to start with is good.

—STEP TEN—

At the drain opening, gently but firmly push the cable into the drain. You’ll begin to feel the cable turn, but just keep feeding it into the drain unt il you feel it hit something. If it does, then push the cable back and forth, feeding more cable into the drain until you feel it release and it can be pushed without resistance. Gently reel the cable back in. You will either push the clog through or pull the clog out on the end of your auger cable. If the clog is still there, it is further down the line than you can reach and unfortunately it is time to call the plumber.

—STEP ELEVEN—

It’s a great idea to inspect your drain pipes just to make sure they are all in good shape and won’t cause you problems down the road.

—STEP TWELVE—

To reconnect the pipes, make sure they align and that you slide the smaller, plastic washer in place before you tighten the plastic nut.

—STEP THIRTEEN—

If you use a wrench, just make sure you don’t over tighten the nut because this could cause your nut to snap and break. Then you’ll have a leaky pipe to fix!

Other, more obvious, circumstances cause us to react immediately and intensely, producing the fight or flight reaction. This response puts an extremely heavy demand on the body. Perceiving a serious threat, the body is put on red alert in order to make itself respond effectively. The stress producing this fight or flight syndrome is obvious, as the body reacts to a demand placed upon it.

In order to demonstrate how tension can build slowly and how this accumulation can affect the intensity of the fight or flight reaction, I’d like you to visualize a situation with me.

You are just returning from a pleasant and relaxing vacation. Having settled into your seat on the plane, you lean back to enjoy the memories of the recent days.

Suddenly, the captain’s voice over the intercom interrupts your dreamy thoughts: “We will be passing through the outer edges of a storm. There are reports of mild turbulence. To be on the safe side, please fasten your seat belts.”

The “Fasten Seat Belt” sign blinks on above your head, and a few minutes pass with the airplane bouncing you slightly.

Then you hear the intercom click again.

“The turbulence appears to be a little stronger than we originally anticipated,” says the captain, “so I’ll ask that you remain in your seats, keeping seat belts fastened, until further advised.”

During the next few silent moments, the ride becomes quite choppy. Again, the intercom interrupts.

“This is your captain speaking. Place your trays and seats in a forward position. We are approaching the most turbulent area — Oh! Oh my God!”

The plane lurches forward, you’re thrown against the restraints of the seat belt, and people around you scream out. Suddenly, the entire cabin is quiet.

In a few minutes that seem like hours, the captain returns to the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are now past the worst of the turbulence. And let me apologize for that sudden outburst — I spilled a cup of hot coffee on my lap.”

Have you ever met with a friend, family member, who after you left, you were totally wiped out. That person is probably what I call an energy vampire. They take all our energy and leave us totally drained. Usually this is a person, who has so many things going on, and they feel they have to burden you; or perhaps they are so negative, no matter how you try to “paint a pretty picture” they just shoot down every idea. Well if this sounds familiar then you have come in contact with an “energy vampire”, and you know exactly what I mean. Sometimes the drain can be so severe that it can lead to depression, or feelings of being totally overwhelmed, and out of control; and unless you recognize this, you can go in complete circle and truly believe it is all depression.

I find the best way to deal with such people is to avoid them, but sometimes that is not practical, but the realization that a particular someone is giving off negative energy, or is an “energy vampire” will help prevent such an invasion.  Try to keep your positive energy flowing to do this; you must focus on goods things, smile, and be cheerful. Do not pay much attention to what they are saying or doing. Never let, the person affect you, once they have, that is when they start sapping your energy, You MUST put up your shields!!!!

If you are going to visit someone who you know has that affect on you, then you can prepare your self. If you meditate, do so before coming into contact with the “energy vampire”, if you exercise or jog, again do so; by doing what you enjoy and getting your mind set on positive things, and surrounds you with the positive energy that surround you. By taking action before the invasion starts will help ward off any drain of negative influence, or being overwhelmed by it.

Positive Energy is fantastic, it helps you be creative, fun and loving. When you are surrounded by positive energy, everything flows much easier, your thoughts are in prospective, and your day mores along nicely and your feel completely balanced.

Using positive energy is very much like positive thinking. You can make yourself feel good by using affirmative words. A simple sentence like “ I feel great” or “today is going to be a great day” can and will have a large impact on you day.

So think positive and avoid those “energy vampires”.

Art by Mark Gordon Brown

Do not laugh. Energy vampires are very real, they walk among us. Some of them are members of groups who freely exchange their energy with others. They have willing “victims”. However, others enjoy feeding on random members of the public.

Have you ever felt a strange draining feeling when around a person? This is not the same as feeling lousy being around the person because they are boring or depressing, but rather this a drain you cannot explain on their personality or behavior. They literally suck the life out of you. They leave you feeling ill.

Here is a true example:  I work in busy retail shop in a touristy type area. We have local customers, but also many from other places. One day I was at work and a woman came into the store and was alone. I noticed her right away, but was not aware of why I seemed drawn to her. Not drawn to her in physical sense, but just that I was more keenly aware of her presence in the store, more so than that of other people at the time.

When she came to the cash register to pay for her items, I felt instantly ill, a sudden feeling of exhaustion. It was overwhelming. I slowly started to feel better only after she left the store. You might think she had some perfume on or something that caused an allergic reaction, but I assure you I have never had allergies, and noticed no perfume smell at the time. It was later when I came home and told the story to my husband, who suggested the woman was an energy vampire that I realized what had happened.

I have heard of energy vampires before, we had even watched a television show on them, I just didn’t think of it at the time. Now, looking back, it is plain to see this is what had happened. The woman, on her vacation, was looking for an energy source, and I was it.

How They Do It

An energy vampire takes energy by finding a person who is open, this can be somebody who is weak or strong, but is “open” unguarded. There is no point in them taking energy from an emotionally drained person, as they will have no energy to give. Some energy vampires have to physically touch the person they are draining, others only need mental contact.

How to Avoid Becoming a Unwilling Victim of an Energy Vampire

The first step is being aware. If you find yourself in the presence of somebody you feel could be an energy vampire, but up mental blocks against it. Tell yourself “I will not allow this person to drain my energy“. It is believed crossing your fingers, legs, or even ankles, will thwart off their attempts to drain you. Keep your guard up and hopefully none of these people will ever use you for their next free meal.