Keeping Children Safe

I just saw this on the Sydney Morning Herald...keeping Children Safe is absolutely vital...Hope to see it in America soon!!!


Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/smartphone-app-to-help-save-abducted-children-20121128-2ad9u.html

Smartphone app to help save abducted children

Date

November 28, 2012 - 2:03PM

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Smartphones are the latest weapons in the campaign to save abducted children in Australia following the launch of a new app.

US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich hosted the launch of the phone app, developed by the Australian Federal Police with the support of the FBI, at his Canberra residence a short time ago.

It allows parents to store crucial data, including pictures of their children, on their phones ready to be shared with police in the event tragedy strikes.

Ambassador Bleich said America's campaign to save abducted children had really begun on May 25, 1979, when Etan Patz, a six-year-old from New York, disappeared.

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The case had sparked national outrage. Patz was the first child to have his face posted on milk cartons.

The smart phone app is an extension of that thinking. With 75 per cent of abducted children murdered by their captors within the first three hours of being taken it is essential to get as much information out as quickly as possible.

May 25 has now been designated missing children's day internationally.

Using the app, which can be downloaded by Googling ‘child ID' or through i-tunes, parents can preload photos, contact details, descriptions and other information onto their smart phones.

The information stays on the phone until, in the event a child disappears, they share it with the authorities so it can be circulated as widely as possible.

The data base can be updated with new photos and information as the child grows.Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Tony Negus, said the system, already operating with considerable success in the US, was totally secure.

"The information is stored on your phone until it is needed,'' he said. "I encourage all Australian families to download the app.''

He said more than 130,000 Americans had downloaded the US version of the software already with the FBI indicating it had been of assistance in a number of cases.

"Almost 20,000 Australians under the age of 18 go missing each year,'' he said.

"This can be for many different reasons and, thankfully, most are located in one week - but imagine the anguish of that week for their families.''

Ambassador Bleich said the US decision to make Australia the first country it shared the "sophisticated and sensitive'' source code that made the app possible with underlined the strength of the alliance between the two nations.

He said that as a parent of teenage children himself he was "particularly grateful'' for a new technology that would make them safer.

"I would like to hope it could make them do their homework too, but we may have to save that for another day.’’

In addition to allowing parents to pre-load information in an easily accessible and shareable form, the app also contains information and safety tips including check lists and contact numbers.

The Daniel Morcombe Foundation is also working on a phone app to help protect children.

"The two (apps) will be complementary; they will not be in competition with each other,’’ Commissioner Negus said.

One of the Hidden Dangers Facing Us on Earth

I saw this while making the Virtual Rounds on Facebook.    This was on You Tube and only had 179 Views:

What I find especially disturbing is how no one seems to be paying attention to this problem.

Also on:

http://www.outsiderviews.com

http://ordinaryfaces.blogspot.com

On Safety: How to get back to business

Source: http://www.mediabistro.com/mediajobsdaily/how-to-get-back-to-business-after-natural-disasters_b12760

WORKPLACE ISSUES

How to Get Back to Business After Natural Disasters

By Vicki Salemi on November 5, 2012 10:54 AM

As priorities are instantly put into place amidst a natural disaster such as the case here in the northeast, the checklist is simple:

Family. Check.

Roof over our heads. Check.

Heat, hot water, electricity, food. Check, check, check. And yes, check.

Well, as time marches on and situations resume to somewhat normal routines after the storm has come and gone (assuming and hoping there was minimal devastation and power outages), it’s time to get back to work, right?

Whether it’s hurricane Sandy or a huge storm, mudslide or some other horrific natural disaster, chances are we’ve all been there. It’s time to get back to work but your head is simply not in the game.

Well, according to a piece in today’s New York Post, from a management perspective there’s a fine line to showing employees it’s time to get back to business without seeming callous.

In the piece, Gregory Giangrande, chief HR officer at Time, Inc., writes, “Balancing employee needs and business needs requires leadership, flexibility and understanding during these critical days.”

He points out there is “no need to go it alone.” Many companies probably have strong internal networks across the board from HR to crisis management and inner workings of teams themselves.

From an employee perspective, if your company has a work-life balance hotline or help desk, by all means reach out. It seems to be normal to feel that you’re not completely immersed in the game after an intense storm, as well as unusual routine of working from home alongside your family for days on end.

However, by relying on resources and tools such as working on tasks, shutting off e-mails, setting an alarm, and allowing yourself frequent breaks you’ll hopefully get bursts of solid productive time even though in the beginning they may seem rather succinct.

RELATED:

How to Stay Engaged & Connected During Emergencies

This is a post that I wanted to retain, courtesy of MediaBistro, about how to leverage the power of Twitter in Emergencies:

Source: http://www.mediabistro.com/appnewser/how-to-connect-your-phone-to-twitter-for-emergency-communications_b28121

SOCIAL NETWORKS

How To Connect Your Phone To Twitter For Emergency Communications

By Dianna Dilworth on October 29, 2012 3:30 PM

While Hurricane Sandy may take out your electricity and your Internet connection, if you’ve got a phone signal, you can still use access Twitter via SMS. This, and a radio, can be a good way to stay up-to-date on what is going on in your area and a good way to broadcast messages out.

Text the word “START” to 40404, and Twitter will reply with the word, “YES.” If you text back your username (without the @sign), you will set yourself up to be able to send tweets via SMS. You can also choose to receive select Twitter accounts, say the National Weather Service @usNWSgov or Michael Bloomberg @NYCMayorsOffice.

The Washington Post has all the details: “ You don’t need a Twitter account to get important tweets sent to your phone. Just text the word “Follow [username]” to 40404 on a U.S.-based phone. For instance, if you want to receive tweets from @CapitalWeather and you don’t have a Twitter account, text “Follow capitalweather” to 40404.” (Via @baratunde).