Casey Clay Hall's Blog

I am conscious about germs and contamination. I try to wash my hands when necessary. From what I have witnessed, some people are either uninformed or unconcerned about when they should wash their hands. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide these examples of when to wash your hands:

• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal or animal waste
• After touching garbage

You must wash your hands adequately for the process to be effective at removing germs. I have witnessed some people spend only a couple seconds wetting their hands, which is highly inadequate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide these instructions for how to correctly wash your hands:

• Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
• Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
• Rinse your hands well under running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

You might call it germophobia, but it’s really just basic hygiene. Please remember to wash your hands thoroughly whenever necessary. The health of you and and others around you will benefit.

Have you ever wondered why the terms “bull” and “bear” are used to describe directional movements of investment markets? A bull market is when prices are rising. A bear market is when prices are declining. These directions represent the ways each animal attacks when fighting. A bull attacks by thrusting his horns upward. A bear attacks by swiping his paws downward. Therefore, these animals became metaphors for the upward and downward movements of the market.

I have a pet peeve about drivers who have their side-view car mirrors adjusted incorrectly. The side-view mirrors (attached to your car doors) should be adjusted to show objects located to the sides of your car. But often times drivers incorrectly set their side-view mirrors to view objects directly behind their cars. Setting the side-view mirrors this way replicates the function of the rear view mirror. The rear-view mirror (attached to your car windshield) should be the only mirror used to view objects directly behind your car.

How can I tell when drivers have their mirrors adjusted incorrectly? When I am driving directly behind another vehicle, and I can see the driver’s face in the driver-side mirror, I know that side mirror is set to view behind the car rather than to the side of the car. If your side-view mirrors are adjusted correctly, you should not see the car directly behind you in the side mirrors, and the driver directly behind you should not see your face in the side mirrors.

How do you correctly adjust the side-view mirrors? Sitting in the driver’s seat, lean to your left and move the driver-side mirror outward to the point where you can just barely see the side of your vehicle. Still sitting in the driver’s seat, lean to your right and move the passenger-side mirror outward to the point where you can barely see the side of your vehicle. Then sit straight up in the driver’s seat and compare the views in all three mirrors. Now, objects directly behind your vehicle should not be visible in the side-view mirrors.

Why are car mirrors adjusted incorrectly a pet peeve of mine? Drivers with incorrect mirror settings are at higher risk of causing an accident. When drivers’ side-view mirrors replicate the rear-view rather than focus on the side-view, their blind-spot areas are larger, and they are less likely to see other cars around them. As a result, those drivers are more likely to collide with other vehicles when turning or changing lanes. A simple way to reduce your car accident risk exposure is to maximize your possible viewing area by adjusting your mirrors properly.

For additional instructions on how to correctly adjust your car mirrors, read this article and/or watch this video.

There is no love at first sight. There is only attraction at first sight. But when attraction is initially present, love is eventually possible.

by Ron Paul in “Liberty Defined”

1. Rights belong to individuals, not groups; they derive from our nature and can neither be granted nor taken away by government.

2. All peaceful, voluntary economic and social associations are permitted; consent is the basis of the social and economic order.

3. Justly acquired property is privately owned by individuals and voluntary groups, and this ownership cannot be arbitrarily voided by governments.

4. Government may not redistribute private wealth or grant special privilages to an individual or group.

5. Individuals are responsible for their own actions; government cannot and should not protect us from ourselves.

6. Government may not claim the monopoly over a people’s money, and government must never engage in official counterfeiting, even in the name of macroeconimic stability.

7. Aggressive wars, even when called preventative, and even when they pertain only to trade relations, are forbidden.

8. Jury nullification, that is, the right of jurors to judge the law as well as the facts, is a right of the people and the courtroom norm.

9. All forms of involuntary servitude are prohibited, not only slavery but also conscription, forced association, and forced welfare distribution.

10. Government must obey the law it expects other people to obey and thereby must never use force to mold behavior, manipulate social outcomes, manage the economy, or tell other countries how to behave.

My older blog posts are located at caseyclayhall.posterous.com.