10 Things Your Tax Preparer Won't Tell You
by Janet Paskin
Thursday, February 21, 2008
provided by YAHOO NEWS
1. "A big name doesn't always mean better service."
Roughly 135 million Americans file tax returns, and of those, two-thirds pay for help. While solo acts like CPAs and so-called enrolled agents have plenty of clients, almost 20% of taxpayers go through a big franchise like H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt or Liberty Tax Service to get their refund — last year an average $2,255 per return. Problem is, tax preparation and advice depend on the preparer, and in a system of franchises, that means thousands of seasonal employees and limited quality control.
The results can be dangerous. When staffers from the Government Accountability Office went undercover to get returns done by the big chains, they found "nearly all of the returns prepared for us were incorrect to some degree," according to the report. Worse yet, recently filed lawsuits allege that the owners of 125 Jackson Hewitt franchises cost the government $70 million in tax fraud and created an environment "in which fraudulent tax-return preparation is encouraged and flourishes," according to the Department of Justice. Jackson Hewitt says it stands behind its compliance procedures as well as its nationally standardized educational curriculum.
2. "You wouldn't believe what I get away with."
Complaints about tax preparers, including allegations of inaccuracies and returns that weren't filed on time, are up 80% in the past five years, says the Council of Better Business Bureaus. But when it comes to the IRS policing problem preparers, "the lifeguard is asleep," complains Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who took the agency to task for inaction last April. (The IRS had no comment.) Less than 1.5% of returns get audited, and while that may pacify nervous taxpayers, audits are the primary way to catch bad tax pros. The GAO found that a year after it reported poor preparers by name to the IRS, the agency had failed to audit a single one.
Professional organizations, like the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of Enrolled Agents, pack even less of a wallop because they often wait for the IRS to act. Then the AICPA will strip membership and report bad accountants to the relevant state-licensing group, says Tom Ochsenschlager, the association's VP of taxation. How to find out if your CPA's been disciplined? Visit the agency's web site at aicpa.org/TheCPALetter.
3. "You'd be better off without me."
Maybe you're hiring a tax preparer because you've got better things to do with your weekend or numbers make you dizzy — more power to you. But if you're hiring a pro because you think he's smarter than you, think again. On average tax preparers make more mistakes, and costlier ones, than Josie Taxpayer does. According to a study of IRS data, 56% of professionally prepared returns showed significant errors, compared with 47% of those done by the taxpayer. And audited taxpayers who used preparers owed an average of $363, while those who filed themselves owed $185.
Want More Money-Saving Tax Tips?
Visit our 2008 Tax Center
Of course, tax preparers often see more-difficult returns, which could lead to more errors. But the bottom line? "For one W-2, mortgage interest and a couple of kids, TurboTax is just fine," says Kerry Kerstetter, an Arkansas CPA. If, on the other hand, you're attaching a schedule for self-employment income or capital losses, consider getting help. And even then, if a return is made complicated by a one-time event — say, the birth of a child or the acquisition of a rental property — you might need only one year's worth of advice. "If nothing changes, you should be able to copy it from year to year," says Ochsenschlager.
4. "What are my qualifications? Well, I'm real good at Sudoku."
Every April, Sen. Grassley calls IRS officials before the Finance Committee to grill them on taxpayer protection. He's increasingly concerned about unethical, unlicensed tax preparers and what he calls "sharks in the water." "Anyone can call himself a tax preparer," Grassley laments. Many do. There's no mandatory national licensing, and Oregon and California are the only states that require tax pros to take a test. That means as many as 600,000 tax preparers are unregulated, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate, the taxpayer assistance wing of the IRS. Some may set up shop in a local real estate office, but many work for the big chains: H&R Block alone hires 120,000 people to prepare returns through tax season.
Translation: There's no universal standard for qualification. Licensed preparers, who are usually CPAs or enrolled agents, are tested and must meet ongoing education requirements. Unlicensed preparers do neither. In general that's fine — no harm, no foul. But in the worst case scenario — say, a tricky audit — only a pro with a license (or a lawyer) can represent you before the IRS. At stores like H&R Block, you'll pay extra for representation.
5. "If it's February, you're too late."
A savvy tax pro may be able to cut your tax bill or juice your refund. But don't expect to find one come Feb. 1. From that point through April, tax pros are generally too busy to talk to new clients. So if you don't already have a preparer lined up, by the time you actually have your W-2s in hand, "you're not going to get good service," says Frank Degan, an enrolled agent in Setauket, N.Y. "In the fall, though, tax preparers will give you their full attention." That means you should be talking to tax preparers in October and November. They'll have time to answer questions, look over your old returns and suggest changes.
Not only that, but talking to a tax pro in the fall means you still have time to plan. If you wait until you have all your W-2s, you've locked in all your income for the year. But in the fall a good preparer can help you figure out ways to manipulate your income by increasing your 401(k) contributions, deferring a bonus until the new year or taking taxable losses. Wait until spring and a professional can help you make small decisions, like whether to itemize or think about different deductions, says Bob Scharin, an analyst with Thomson Tax and Accounting, but you've lost most of your flexibility.
6. "You hired me, but your return is being done by some guy in India."
Some accounting firms have begun outsourcing return preparation, says Rich Brody, a University of New Mexico accounting professor. That means your data might be sent as far away as India — or as close as a local H&R Block, since the chain contracts with CPA firms to do returns. Either way, your accountant isn't obliged to tell you. "It's very scary," Brody says. "Your most sensitive information may have gone halfway around the world, and you have no idea." Indeed, sending Social Security numbers, names, addresses, birth dates and account numbers overseas electronically makes some people uneasy. For while the origins of identity theft are often hard to pinpoint, says Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, returns contain so much "in one bright, shiny package — that's a great gift to the identity thief."
The number of outsourced returns is still small, but they're becoming increasingly common. An overseas company can process a return overnight for as little as $50, much less than a CPA's hourly rate. CCH, which provides such services, estimates that 240,000 returns will be outsourced in 2008 — up 20% from 2007.
7. "Taxes, shmaxes — let me see what else I can sell you."
The real money in tax prep has nothing to do with 1040 forms and W-2s. For the big-chain preparers, as well as your local accountant, the register really lights up only when they persuade you to take a loan, open a retirement account or buy insurance.
Chances are you don't need what they're selling, but the sales pitch may blur the issue. GAO staffers reported that when they visited the big-chain tax preparers, loans were described as "options" or "bank products"; on one visit a customer was asked to sign a loan application without being told what it was. Worse, these extras can do more harm for consumers than good: More than 80% of those who opened an "Express IRA" at H&R Block, for example, paid more in fees than they earned in interest, according to a lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general. (H&R Block says most Express IRA accounts opened between 2001 and 2005 have yielded "positive net tax savings benefits and interest earnings," even as the company "has lost money operating this program.") CPAs, too, are in the sales game, ever since the AICPA allowed members to sell insurance products. When commissions can be $20,000, says Terry DeMuth, an insurance wholesaler in California, "it's easy to get greedy."
8. "If I screw up, I'll pay up."
Worried about an audit? H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt are happy to ease your mind — for a price. Both offer the option of buying a souped-up guarantee that promises to cover any back taxes you owe, plus interest, fees and penalties. Here's what they don't say: You don't need the extra protection. If it turns out you owe back taxes, the big chains' basic (read: free) guarantee already covers fines, penalties and interest. Many CPAs and enrolled agents will do the same; they often have insurance for that very purpose. Just be sure to ask about it before one does your return.
But what about the back taxes? True, they could amount to a bigger expense than the fines and penalties, which may be why some chains can sell that extra guarantee. But H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt will cover you only up to $5,000 and exclude the most complicated returns. If you're tempted, know there may be an unintended consequence: If someone pays your taxes, the IRS considers that taxable income. In other words if you buy the guarantee, and H&R Block ends up paying your back taxes, expect to get a 1099 next January.
9. "Tax preparation is an art, not a science."
A recent law tightened penalties for tax preparers who play fast and loose with the tax code, taking far-fetched positions because they know 99% of returns never get audited. That said, for anyone with a complicated or unusual financial life, there's still lots of wiggle room, says Kerstetter, the CPA: "It's about 10% black, 10% white, and everything else is in the middle."
Chances are good you have room to maneuver if you have income in a category the tax code treats flexibly — you're self-employed, for example, or own rental property. Ditto if you've earned big capital gains or incurred high or unusual medical expenses. In short, Kerstetter says, if you're attaching a schedule to your return, a good tax preparer will pay for himself.
Now, that may mean raising a red flag with the IRS, and a good preparer should explain if he's taking risky positions, says Fred Giertz, of the National Tax Association. If you can't stomach the specter of an audit, you'll want a pro to err on the side of caution. And think twice before paying someone to look for loopholes if your income picture is relatively simple. "If you've got one W-2, you don't need someone fancy," says Kerstetter. "There's not a lot we can do for you."
10. "You could find a much better deal if you'd only shop around."
There's no standard price for doing taxes. Some preparers charge by the hour, others by the form; either way the cost depends on where you live, the complexity of your situation and the qualifications of your tax pro. Consider: The average H&R Block customer pays about $150; a CPA may charge 15 times that. Jay Adkisson, a California lawyer who specializes in helping people protect their assets, says, "People rely too much on word of mouth; they don't shop prices." If they did, they might be surprised. A licensed local pro may not cost much more than a national chain. Nadine Smith, an enrolled agent in Florida, charges by the form, and a simple return could cost just $200 — not much more than what you might pay at a big chain.
Even among franchises prices vary. The return that cost $90 to prepare at one big store cost more than three times that at another, according to the GAO study. To be fair, it may be hard to know what your return will cost before the preparer actually spends time on it. Ask for estimates using last year's return — that'll give you a point of comparison to find the best price.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Surprising Expiration Dates
Surprising Expiration Dates
A handy, who-knew guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods
Surprising Expiration Dates
Keate
Certain items in your house practically scream “toss me” when their prime has passed. That mysterious extra white layer on the Cheddar? A sure sign it needs to be put out of its misery. Chunky milk? Down the drain it goes.
But what about that jar of olives or Maraschino cherries that has resided in your refrigerator since before the birth of your kindergartner? Or the innumerable nonedibles lurking deep within your cabinets and closets: stockpiled shampoo and toothpaste, seldom-used silver polish? How do you know when their primes have passed?
With help from experts and product manufacturers, Real Simple has compiled a guide to expiration dates. These dates are offered as a rough guideline. The shelf lives of most products depend upon how you treat them. Edibles, unless otherwise indicated, should be stored in a cool, dry place. (With any food, of course, use common sense.) Household cleaners also do best in a dry place with a stable temperature. After the dates shown, beauty and cleaning products are probably still safe but may be less effective.
Food
# Beer
Unopened: 4 months.
# Brown sugar
Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.
# Chocolate (Hershey bar)
1 year from production date
# Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated
# Coffee, gourmet
Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container
# Coffee, instant
Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month
# Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)
Unopened: 3 months from "best by" date.
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.
# Dried pasta
12 months
# Frozen dinners
Unopened: 12 to 18 months
# Frozen vegetables
Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month
# Honey
Indefinite shelf life
# Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)
Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days
# Ketchup
Unopened: 1 year (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Maple syrup, real or imitation
1 year
# Maraschino cherries
Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated
# Marshmallows
Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months
# Mayonnaise
Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Mustard
2 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Olives, jarred (green with pimento)
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months
# Olive oil
2 years from manufacture date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Peanuts
Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container
# Peanut butter, natural
9 months
# Peanut butter, processed (Jif)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months
# Pickles
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.
# Protein bars (PowerBars)
Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check "best by" date on the package.
# Rice, white
2 years from date on box or date of purchase
# Salad dressing, bottled
Unopened: 12 months after "best by" date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated
# Soda, regular
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from "best by" date
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected
# Steak sauce
33 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Tabasco
5 years, stored in a cool, dry place
# Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package
# Tuna, canned
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can
# Soy sauce, bottled
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Vinegar
42 months
# Wine (red, white)
Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines
Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked
# Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 5 to 10 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened: 2 years
For more information, see:
How to Protect Your Produce
How to Save an Open Bottle of Wine
Household Products
# Air freshener, aerosol
2 years
# Antifreeze, premixed
1 to 5 years
# Antifreeze, concentrate
Indefinite
# Batteries, alkaline
7 years
# Batteries, lithium
10 years
# Bleach
3 to 6 months
# Dish detergent, liquid or powdered
1 year
# Fire extinguisher, rechargeable
Service or replace every 6 years
# Fire extinguisher, nonrechargeable
12 years
# Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered
Unopened: 9 months to 1 year
Opened: 6 months
# Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)
At least 3 years
# Miracle Gro, liquid
Opened: 3 to 8 years
# Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble
Indefinite
# Motor oil
Unopened: 2 to 5 years
Opened: 3 months
# Mr. Clean
2 years
# Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years
# Spray paint
2 to 3 years
# Windex
2 years
# Wood polish (Pledge)
2 years
For more information, see:
The Right Way to Throw Out Medicine, Paint, Batteries
Earth-Friendly Cleaning Products
Beauty Products
All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer's customer-service number.
# Bar soap
18 months to 3 years
# Bath gel, body wash
3 years
# Bath oil
1 year
# Body bleaches and depilatories
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 6 months
# Body lotion
3 years
# Conditioner
2 to 3 years
# Deodorant
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 1 to 2 years
For antiperspirants, see expiration date
# Eye cream
Unopened: 3 years
Used: 1 year
# Face lotion
With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years
# Foundation, oil-based
2 years
# Foundation, water-based
3 years
# Hair gel
2 to 3 years
# Hair spray
2 to 3 years
# Lip balm
Unopened: 5 years
Used: 1 to 5 years
# Lipstick
2 years
# Mascara
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 3 to 4 months
# Mouthwash
Three years from manufacture date
# Nail polish
1 year
# Nail-polish remover
Lasts indefinitely
# Perfume
1 to 2 years
# Rubbing alcohol
At least 3 years
# Shampoo
2 to 3 years
# Shaving cream
2 years or more
# Tooth-whitening strips
13 months
# Wash'n Dri moist wipes
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Good until dried out
A handy, who-knew guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods
Surprising Expiration Dates
Keate
Certain items in your house practically scream “toss me” when their prime has passed. That mysterious extra white layer on the Cheddar? A sure sign it needs to be put out of its misery. Chunky milk? Down the drain it goes.
But what about that jar of olives or Maraschino cherries that has resided in your refrigerator since before the birth of your kindergartner? Or the innumerable nonedibles lurking deep within your cabinets and closets: stockpiled shampoo and toothpaste, seldom-used silver polish? How do you know when their primes have passed?
With help from experts and product manufacturers, Real Simple has compiled a guide to expiration dates. These dates are offered as a rough guideline. The shelf lives of most products depend upon how you treat them. Edibles, unless otherwise indicated, should be stored in a cool, dry place. (With any food, of course, use common sense.) Household cleaners also do best in a dry place with a stable temperature. After the dates shown, beauty and cleaning products are probably still safe but may be less effective.
Food
# Beer
Unopened: 4 months.
# Brown sugar
Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.
# Chocolate (Hershey bar)
1 year from production date
# Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated
# Coffee, gourmet
Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container
# Coffee, instant
Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month
# Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)
Unopened: 3 months from "best by" date.
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.
# Dried pasta
12 months
# Frozen dinners
Unopened: 12 to 18 months
# Frozen vegetables
Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month
# Honey
Indefinite shelf life
# Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)
Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days
# Ketchup
Unopened: 1 year (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Maple syrup, real or imitation
1 year
# Maraschino cherries
Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated
# Marshmallows
Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months
# Mayonnaise
Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Mustard
2 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Olives, jarred (green with pimento)
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months
# Olive oil
2 years from manufacture date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Peanuts
Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container
# Peanut butter, natural
9 months
# Peanut butter, processed (Jif)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months
# Pickles
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.
# Protein bars (PowerBars)
Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check "best by" date on the package.
# Rice, white
2 years from date on box or date of purchase
# Salad dressing, bottled
Unopened: 12 months after "best by" date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated
# Soda, regular
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from "best by" date
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected
# Steak sauce
33 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Tabasco
5 years, stored in a cool, dry place
# Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package
# Tuna, canned
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can
# Soy sauce, bottled
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
# Vinegar
42 months
# Wine (red, white)
Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines
Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked
# Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 5 to 10 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened: 2 years
For more information, see:
How to Protect Your Produce
How to Save an Open Bottle of Wine
Household Products
# Air freshener, aerosol
2 years
# Antifreeze, premixed
1 to 5 years
# Antifreeze, concentrate
Indefinite
# Batteries, alkaline
7 years
# Batteries, lithium
10 years
# Bleach
3 to 6 months
# Dish detergent, liquid or powdered
1 year
# Fire extinguisher, rechargeable
Service or replace every 6 years
# Fire extinguisher, nonrechargeable
12 years
# Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered
Unopened: 9 months to 1 year
Opened: 6 months
# Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)
At least 3 years
# Miracle Gro, liquid
Opened: 3 to 8 years
# Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble
Indefinite
# Motor oil
Unopened: 2 to 5 years
Opened: 3 months
# Mr. Clean
2 years
# Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years
# Spray paint
2 to 3 years
# Windex
2 years
# Wood polish (Pledge)
2 years
For more information, see:
The Right Way to Throw Out Medicine, Paint, Batteries
Earth-Friendly Cleaning Products
Beauty Products
All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer's customer-service number.
# Bar soap
18 months to 3 years
# Bath gel, body wash
3 years
# Bath oil
1 year
# Body bleaches and depilatories
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 6 months
# Body lotion
3 years
# Conditioner
2 to 3 years
# Deodorant
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 1 to 2 years
For antiperspirants, see expiration date
# Eye cream
Unopened: 3 years
Used: 1 year
# Face lotion
With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years
# Foundation, oil-based
2 years
# Foundation, water-based
3 years
# Hair gel
2 to 3 years
# Hair spray
2 to 3 years
# Lip balm
Unopened: 5 years
Used: 1 to 5 years
# Lipstick
2 years
# Mascara
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 3 to 4 months
# Mouthwash
Three years from manufacture date
# Nail polish
1 year
# Nail-polish remover
Lasts indefinitely
# Perfume
1 to 2 years
# Rubbing alcohol
At least 3 years
# Shampoo
2 to 3 years
# Shaving cream
2 years or more
# Tooth-whitening strips
13 months
# Wash'n Dri moist wipes
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Good until dried out
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
How To Help Someone Who Is Choking
How To Help Someone Who Is Choking
It is a serious matter when someone chokes and there is no one at hand in the near vicinity appropriately trained to help them. A person's life can depend on whether you know what to do. Everyone should be knowledgeable or familiar with the Heimlich method, however many obstructions can be dislodged before this procedure is used. Even children have the capacity to respond with help, when it becomes apparent that someone is in distress.
Symptoms of choking include:
1. A person cannot speak or cry out.
2. Turning blue (cyanosis) from lack of oxygen.
3. Desperately grabs at his or her throat.
4. Exhibiting a weak cough, and labored breathing producing a high pitched noise
5. The person has any or all of the above, and then becomes unconscious.
Universal sign of choking: If you ever find yourself in this situation, alert those around you by making the universal sign of choking (left). If you witness someone showing this sign or one similar in which you suspect choking, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.
After calling 911, attempt to dislodge the object by using the Heimlich maneuver (below). If you have not been trained to use this maneuver, most restaurants have a poster that details the procedure. The best solution is to be trained in CPR. A CPR course also includes foreign body airway obstruction (choking) training.
Helping someone who is choking:
It is always important to remain alert and avoid panicking. Someone's life may depend on your assessment, judgment and action.
1. Encourage the person to cough first, slapping the upper back with the heel of your hand with measured hard blows (5 to 20 times) - children with more care. The back slap essentially will create a pressure that will often help to expel the blockage.
2. Abdominal thrusts, used in the Heimlich procedure, can cause damage (cracked ribs, bruising) if not properly applied to the right area. The person performing the procedure, should stand behind the one who is choking and using their hands to exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm, compressing the lungs, exerting an upward pressure on the object lodged in the trachea, forcing it out. For pregnant women or obese people chest thrusts can be used in a modified form by placing the back of the hand on the chest rather than the abdomen.
3. If alone, abdominal thrusts can also be done using the back of a chair in the same manner, applying pressure to the diaphragm.
4. If a patient is unconscious, CPR should be done with chest compression and artificial respiration. Once conscious, the obstruction should be at the mouth and can be removed by turning the patient, allowing gravity to do the rest. Finger sweeping can induce vomiting which can also be a problem.
These procedures are appropriate for adults. Young children and infants are different. Training for this should be learned from a medical person in programs designed to address this.
This article was written by Jon Percepto from Eclectic Commons.
It is a serious matter when someone chokes and there is no one at hand in the near vicinity appropriately trained to help them. A person's life can depend on whether you know what to do. Everyone should be knowledgeable or familiar with the Heimlich method, however many obstructions can be dislodged before this procedure is used. Even children have the capacity to respond with help, when it becomes apparent that someone is in distress.
Symptoms of choking include:
1. A person cannot speak or cry out.
2. Turning blue (cyanosis) from lack of oxygen.
3. Desperately grabs at his or her throat.
4. Exhibiting a weak cough, and labored breathing producing a high pitched noise
5. The person has any or all of the above, and then becomes unconscious.
Universal sign of choking: If you ever find yourself in this situation, alert those around you by making the universal sign of choking (left). If you witness someone showing this sign or one similar in which you suspect choking, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.
After calling 911, attempt to dislodge the object by using the Heimlich maneuver (below). If you have not been trained to use this maneuver, most restaurants have a poster that details the procedure. The best solution is to be trained in CPR. A CPR course also includes foreign body airway obstruction (choking) training.
Helping someone who is choking:
It is always important to remain alert and avoid panicking. Someone's life may depend on your assessment, judgment and action.
1. Encourage the person to cough first, slapping the upper back with the heel of your hand with measured hard blows (5 to 20 times) - children with more care. The back slap essentially will create a pressure that will often help to expel the blockage.
2. Abdominal thrusts, used in the Heimlich procedure, can cause damage (cracked ribs, bruising) if not properly applied to the right area. The person performing the procedure, should stand behind the one who is choking and using their hands to exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm, compressing the lungs, exerting an upward pressure on the object lodged in the trachea, forcing it out. For pregnant women or obese people chest thrusts can be used in a modified form by placing the back of the hand on the chest rather than the abdomen.
3. If alone, abdominal thrusts can also be done using the back of a chair in the same manner, applying pressure to the diaphragm.
4. If a patient is unconscious, CPR should be done with chest compression and artificial respiration. Once conscious, the obstruction should be at the mouth and can be removed by turning the patient, allowing gravity to do the rest. Finger sweeping can induce vomiting which can also be a problem.
These procedures are appropriate for adults. Young children and infants are different. Training for this should be learned from a medical person in programs designed to address this.
This article was written by Jon Percepto from Eclectic Commons.
Being a Good Parent
Being a Good Parent
Too many times I have seen parents who think that because they have brought children into the world, that fact alone is enough to claim that they should have the respect of those children. Respect is something that needs to be earned. If you expect, as a parent, to have the respect of your children, then you have to earn it from them just as you have to earn it in life from others.
Frequently, having children becomes the thing to do as a natural course of events in life. We start as part of a family, we grow up, mature, develop relationships, and define our own family, with children becoming a part of that cycle.
Some people feel that having children is a way to leave something behind when they are no longer here, a way of propagating their genes, their essence, their existence with a mark. If having kids is your personal mark, then its also the responsibility of parents to make sure that the mark they do leave behind is a good one. Because that mark will always reflect who they have been parented by. It is the personal responsibility of parents to be parents and not transfer the responsibility onto someone else such as the school, or some other person or institution. Children should grow up well because of their parents, rather than in spite of their parents.
Children deserve to be accepted for who they are. They should not have to prove anything to anyone for existing. They should not be expected to do anything or to have to be anything other than what they are - unique human beings that are mold-able by the forces they are subjected to. The initial forces they are in contact with are the parents, and it's the parents who have the responsibility of instilling the first concepts of personality from which all other perceptions will be affected by: Is the world a trust-able place or not? How the parents conduct themselves in the beginning of their child's life will determine this primary perception that will influence everything the child feels, thinks and does for the rest of his or her life. The responsibility is clear. It lies with the parents and no one else. To deny this is to deny your personal responsibility as a parent and to put the very emotional health of your child at risk.
I come back to this primary perception again and again and will continue to do so in the future, because it is this concept that all other perceptions will be an outgrowth of. Is the world a trust-able place or not? If in the first few days of life the child perceives that the world he inhabits is a safe place, one that is nurturing, supportive, giving and loving, then the child will feel trust. He will respond to his/her environment in kind, and his growth will reflect this. If not, his lack of growth will also reflect this. Everything he does and feels will be focused through that mistrust. He will have difficulty feeling comfortable with others or with himself. He will have problems forming intimate relationships. He will cling to one or both of the parents because his view of his world will be that it is a threatening place, and one where he needs to defend and protect himself from at all costs. If he doesn't then the world will reject him. His feelings of his own worthiness will take the form of worthlessness. All this from that one perception of the world, all affected solely by the way his parents relate to him in the initial stage of his life.
Too often I have seen instances where the TV becomes the baby-sitter for children whose parents complain they have no time. They both work, they have two jobs. If it's not one thing it's another, but the bottom line is the parents don't have the time to spend with their children for whatever excuse they may make, it still results in the same effect: children growing up without the proper supervision. When the children begin school, parents feel relieved because now the kids are away from the home and in some magical process where they will transform into social human beings by the process of being in contact with others.
When parents have stress and pressures, too often they expect the children to understand, even though young children do not have the perceptual capability to comprehend stresses parents are experiencing. Often those stresses are so compounded that ultimately the parents may take it out on the children in the form of abuse, emotional neglect or some other harmful way that adds to accumulated mistrust the child already may have about the world he inhabits.
No one is expecting parents to be perfect. We all have problems. But if you transmit to your children that they are loved, accepted and wanted in whatever way you can, and give them the supervision, guidance and discipline when they truly need it, then their growth will reflect it.
But if things do not go well with your children, no matter what age they are, nothing you do in life will ever feel right. Joy, satisfaction, happiness will always be a glass half full and the reasons that things didn't go right with your children will haunt you over and over again, even as you assert, "I did the best I could."
This post was written by Jon Percepto from Eclectic Commons.
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you
cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go
swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves
also the bow that is stable.
-Khalil Gibran
Too many times I have seen parents who think that because they have brought children into the world, that fact alone is enough to claim that they should have the respect of those children. Respect is something that needs to be earned. If you expect, as a parent, to have the respect of your children, then you have to earn it from them just as you have to earn it in life from others.
Frequently, having children becomes the thing to do as a natural course of events in life. We start as part of a family, we grow up, mature, develop relationships, and define our own family, with children becoming a part of that cycle.
Some people feel that having children is a way to leave something behind when they are no longer here, a way of propagating their genes, their essence, their existence with a mark. If having kids is your personal mark, then its also the responsibility of parents to make sure that the mark they do leave behind is a good one. Because that mark will always reflect who they have been parented by. It is the personal responsibility of parents to be parents and not transfer the responsibility onto someone else such as the school, or some other person or institution. Children should grow up well because of their parents, rather than in spite of their parents.
Children deserve to be accepted for who they are. They should not have to prove anything to anyone for existing. They should not be expected to do anything or to have to be anything other than what they are - unique human beings that are mold-able by the forces they are subjected to. The initial forces they are in contact with are the parents, and it's the parents who have the responsibility of instilling the first concepts of personality from which all other perceptions will be affected by: Is the world a trust-able place or not? How the parents conduct themselves in the beginning of their child's life will determine this primary perception that will influence everything the child feels, thinks and does for the rest of his or her life. The responsibility is clear. It lies with the parents and no one else. To deny this is to deny your personal responsibility as a parent and to put the very emotional health of your child at risk.
I come back to this primary perception again and again and will continue to do so in the future, because it is this concept that all other perceptions will be an outgrowth of. Is the world a trust-able place or not? If in the first few days of life the child perceives that the world he inhabits is a safe place, one that is nurturing, supportive, giving and loving, then the child will feel trust. He will respond to his/her environment in kind, and his growth will reflect this. If not, his lack of growth will also reflect this. Everything he does and feels will be focused through that mistrust. He will have difficulty feeling comfortable with others or with himself. He will have problems forming intimate relationships. He will cling to one or both of the parents because his view of his world will be that it is a threatening place, and one where he needs to defend and protect himself from at all costs. If he doesn't then the world will reject him. His feelings of his own worthiness will take the form of worthlessness. All this from that one perception of the world, all affected solely by the way his parents relate to him in the initial stage of his life.
Too often I have seen instances where the TV becomes the baby-sitter for children whose parents complain they have no time. They both work, they have two jobs. If it's not one thing it's another, but the bottom line is the parents don't have the time to spend with their children for whatever excuse they may make, it still results in the same effect: children growing up without the proper supervision. When the children begin school, parents feel relieved because now the kids are away from the home and in some magical process where they will transform into social human beings by the process of being in contact with others.
When parents have stress and pressures, too often they expect the children to understand, even though young children do not have the perceptual capability to comprehend stresses parents are experiencing. Often those stresses are so compounded that ultimately the parents may take it out on the children in the form of abuse, emotional neglect or some other harmful way that adds to accumulated mistrust the child already may have about the world he inhabits.
No one is expecting parents to be perfect. We all have problems. But if you transmit to your children that they are loved, accepted and wanted in whatever way you can, and give them the supervision, guidance and discipline when they truly need it, then their growth will reflect it.
But if things do not go well with your children, no matter what age they are, nothing you do in life will ever feel right. Joy, satisfaction, happiness will always be a glass half full and the reasons that things didn't go right with your children will haunt you over and over again, even as you assert, "I did the best I could."
This post was written by Jon Percepto from Eclectic Commons.
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you
cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go
swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves
also the bow that is stable.
-Khalil Gibran
Living Up To Your Full Potential
Living Up To Your Full Potential
As I review the successes and failures of my life, I often wonder whether I have lived up to my true potential? I'm not even sure what that means; Is it what I think my potential should be? Or is it the expectations that have been placed on me by others? These questions come up repeatedly as I reflect where I am going.
When I was in school, I thought my goal should be to become educated, find a useful way to express whatever intelligence and creativity I had, and become some kind of positive and contributing member of society. At least that's what I thought I should be doing based on how I was interpreting society: be a good person; don't do bad things; learn the laws and boundaries; live within and by them.
Then I learned that society (reality), didn't deal equally with everyone. Those that came from more wealthy economic backgrounds had a head start in just about every area you can imagine. People who did not fit into the general mold of what was defined as "normal", were treated differently and often with discrimination. Society tended to have varieties of expectations towards different people at different times, creating double standards.
What I ultimately concluded is that success has nothing to do with living up to true potential. Success was directly related to my ability to interpret not just what society was literally saying but what it was transmitting within the subtext of its messages. Not everyone understands subtext at the same time or in the same way, and those that do so faster tend to be the ones that get ahead because they are able to size up what society expects from them and give it back, before others. This gets them the attention, the pat on a back, and the proverbial gold star.
When children are referred to as a geniuses, it's not that they are more gifted with abilities than others, but are capable of doing things much earlier then the majority of other children within their age group. Walking at 6 months as opposed to the normal 10-13 months is considered a sign that a child has developed a mastery over their physical coordination quicker than others his age. Talking in complete sentences at 18 months would certainly qualify a child, by most, to be a genius. Reading at that age would also raise eyebrows that a child is meant for great things.
Genius is not about ability as much as about timing. The earlier you are able to cognize what reality expects of you and demonstrate it, defines pretty much how society will label you as smart or slow, capable or not, competent or not.
Trying to define what true potential means is really a quest that is more a distraction from defining what society really wants or expects. It would be more fruitful to simply focus initially on what society wants as its potential for you, or from you, give it what it's asking for to get its approval. Then develop your talents for your own sake, through an individual search for self realization, rather than spending a lifetime wondering whether you have lived up to what you think your true potential should be.
This post was written by Jon Percepto from Eclectic Commons.
As I review the successes and failures of my life, I often wonder whether I have lived up to my true potential? I'm not even sure what that means; Is it what I think my potential should be? Or is it the expectations that have been placed on me by others? These questions come up repeatedly as I reflect where I am going.
When I was in school, I thought my goal should be to become educated, find a useful way to express whatever intelligence and creativity I had, and become some kind of positive and contributing member of society. At least that's what I thought I should be doing based on how I was interpreting society: be a good person; don't do bad things; learn the laws and boundaries; live within and by them.
Then I learned that society (reality), didn't deal equally with everyone. Those that came from more wealthy economic backgrounds had a head start in just about every area you can imagine. People who did not fit into the general mold of what was defined as "normal", were treated differently and often with discrimination. Society tended to have varieties of expectations towards different people at different times, creating double standards.
What I ultimately concluded is that success has nothing to do with living up to true potential. Success was directly related to my ability to interpret not just what society was literally saying but what it was transmitting within the subtext of its messages. Not everyone understands subtext at the same time or in the same way, and those that do so faster tend to be the ones that get ahead because they are able to size up what society expects from them and give it back, before others. This gets them the attention, the pat on a back, and the proverbial gold star.
When children are referred to as a geniuses, it's not that they are more gifted with abilities than others, but are capable of doing things much earlier then the majority of other children within their age group. Walking at 6 months as opposed to the normal 10-13 months is considered a sign that a child has developed a mastery over their physical coordination quicker than others his age. Talking in complete sentences at 18 months would certainly qualify a child, by most, to be a genius. Reading at that age would also raise eyebrows that a child is meant for great things.
Genius is not about ability as much as about timing. The earlier you are able to cognize what reality expects of you and demonstrate it, defines pretty much how society will label you as smart or slow, capable or not, competent or not.
Trying to define what true potential means is really a quest that is more a distraction from defining what society really wants or expects. It would be more fruitful to simply focus initially on what society wants as its potential for you, or from you, give it what it's asking for to get its approval. Then develop your talents for your own sake, through an individual search for self realization, rather than spending a lifetime wondering whether you have lived up to what you think your true potential should be.
This post was written by Jon Percepto from Eclectic Commons.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)