Stay Safe Tips

While terror attacks are rare, there are some useful tips to staying safe.

On the street

• Don't walk chatting on your phone, looking at your screen or wearing headphones.
• Walk with your head up and stick to busy, lit-up areas. Don't wear obviously expensive clothes or jewellery. 
• If people who catch your eye continue to stare at you, they may be targeting you. (Most peopl will look away again.)
• If you feel threatened, dial 999 on your phone. If unsure, dial the number but don't send until things escalate.
• If attacked, don't curl into a ball; protect your vital organs and inner arms as stab wounds here can be fatal.
• Vehicle-ramming incidents. Walk along the inside of pavements with traffic facing you. 
• The impact of jumping into water from a bridge could kill you; if no other option, concentrate on keeping your mouth closed, your arms by your sides and legs bent to lessen the impact.

When travelling

• Research your destination. Are the countries bordering it unstable?
• Always check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
• Put the emergency services of the country you are visiting into your phone.
• At your hotel, check fire escapes, entrances and exits.
• Walk around outside to familiarise yourself with the layout.
• In a hotel shooting, may be best to barricade yourself into your room. Use a wardrobe across the door first, then a bed and mattress. Take cover well away from the door.
• Gunfire sounds like a whip being cracked (not fireworks).
• On a beach and hear gunfire? Don't go into the sea, you'll be a slow moving target. Avoid your hotel.

Caught up in a terrorist attack?

• Run if you can, hide if you can't and tell the authorities what is going on.
• A crowd heading in one direction, is probably running away - join them.
• In a shopping mall, look for a fire exit.
• In direct sight of a gunman, move in a zigzag with your head down.
• At a concert venue, stay on your feet and get to a wall, then move along it, towards the stage area fire exits. Hide in a lockable storeroom and barricade yourself in.
• Stay silent till you are sure the threat has gone. 

Taken hostage?

• If you are British and taken hostage, the SAS will be in charge of the situation.
• Take shelter - sit in a corner (not along a wall, window or door, which could be SAS entry points). The same applies to the seats by the emergency exits of planes.

Protecting your family

• Be careful on Facebook and social media. Check your privacy settings and and be careful what you post. You don't want to tell everyone where you are and that you are not at home.
• If someone breaks into your home when you are on your own with the kids, go into one room and use a wedge shaped door jam. (Take one with you on holiday.)
• GPS trackers can be useful for vulnerable people like children and the elderly. They can be sewn into clothes, put onto a keyring or shoes.

Source: Feature by Chris Ryan in Good Housekeeping, November 2017

Check Your Public Facebook Information

There is a new tool to check your own privacy settings in your Facebook account.

Called StalkScan at https://stalkscan it will identify which material that is available in the public arena or that you have made available to friends.

1. Go to your own Facebook profile and actually log out before running the search.

2. You will see what information you are making public for other people to see.

3. You can click on any of 40 filters in eight subject areas such as Profile, People, Comments, Interests, etc. Stalkscan will then open the Facebook page that provides that information and you can see what you have made publicly available.

4. Note down any areas you need to tighten up on and then log into your Facebook account to change settings as needed.

Source: Phil Bradley Internet Q&A in CILIP Update, October 2017

Stands4 Network

The Stands4 network is a company that specialises in creating small, very niche search tools, such as Lyrics, Poetry, Biographies and Symbols.

Their latest is Anagrams and Scrambles at http://www.anagrams.net/ - these are listed in a variety of categories. For example in the Classic writers category, an anagram of Thomas Hardy is 'hot shy drama'.

You can also reverse this - search the anagram 'midnight kicks' to discover Dick King Smith.

A nice tool for crossword puzzlers.

Other resources are Abbreviations and many more.

Source: Phil Bradley Internet Q&A in CILIP Update October 2017

Foods Better Together

Certain foods are more nutritious when eaten together. Here are six combinations to remember.

Sweet potato wedges and olive oil. Healthy fats in olive oil increase the absorption of beta-carotine in the sweet potato.

Lentils and red peppers. The vitamin C in peppers helps absorb more iron from the lentils.

Brown rice and onions. Onion and garlic boost the absorption of zinc and iron from wholegrains.

Avocado and tomatoes. Healthy fats in the avocado help your body absorb more of the lycopene in the tomato.

Fish and red wine. Polyphenols in red wine protect the omega-3 fats in oily fish from breaking down in the body.

Egg and salad. Adding eggs to salads makes it easier to absorb health-boosting carotenoids in the raw vegetables.

Source: Feature in Good Housekeeping, October 2017

Netiquette

How to use social media sensibly.

1. Watch where you tweet (not when talking to someone, at the dinner table or during a performance - except a pop concert)
2. Beware of posting pictures of children.
   # Don't tag a friend's child in a photo without parental consent.
   # Don't tag other adults in pictures with seeking their permission first.
   # Don't post pictures of under-13s even if it is your child.
3. Don't comment on news that has not been made public.
   #Warn children not to post about a death in the family before everyone has been told.
4. Be careful what you post.
   # Chronic complaining is irritating.
   # Over-sharing is inappropriate.
   # Like farming (asking for Likes or Shares) is annoying.
   # Brag posts put people's backs up. Stick to only posting about really big achievements.
5. Ignore, decline, unfriend
   # Most people think it is odd to connect with a stranger on Facebook.
   # Most people are happy to ignore or decline a request, regardless of sender.
   # 61% of people think being friends with your boss is unwise.
   # Many people would avoid their children's friends on the social network.

Rudeness is a big turn-off on social media, as are opposing political views or repetitive posts. Don't want to seem rude by unfriending someone? Hide their updates from your news feed without them knowing - search for their profile, tap the icon Friends and then select Unfollow.

Source: Feature in Good Housekeeping September 2017