High Death Toll for Americans in Mexico

By Laura Spadanuta

04/28/2011 -
A record number of United States citizens were killed in Mexico last year, according to the State Department.
There were 111 American murders in Mexico last year, and many of them were on or along the Texas border. A reported 80 percent of the murders took place in border states with high narcotics violence.  There were 39 murders in notorious Ciudad Juarez alone.  The travel warning states that there is no indication that American tourists are being targeted.
According to The Houston Chronicle:

The number of U.S. victims last year was more than triple the toll in 2007. Over a four-year period, 283 Americans were reported murdered, according to State Department figures.

In the same lapse, more than 35,000 Mexicans have been killed, including about 15,000 last year. The Mexican government says most were gangsters. But hundreds of innocent civilians also have been killed.

"Bystanders, including U.S. citizens, have been injured or killed in violent incidents in various parts of the country, especially, but not exclusively in the northern border region, demonstrating the heightened risk of violence throughout Mexico," the latest State Department travel warning observes.

The travel warning expands on prior warnings and advises U.S. citizens to avoid non-essential travel to numerous Mexican states as well as Northern Baja, California. The advisory emphasizes threats in border states and also spotlights some other regions that may be unsafe.

Homicides are 3rd leading cause of death in workplace.

The recently-released 2011 Workplace Violence Fact Sheet shows that workplace homicides are the third leading cause of death at workplaces. The fact sheet noted that there are an average of 590 workplace homicides each year, meaning that more than 5,900 people have been killed while at work over the past 10 years. Those numbers do not include attempted workplace murders or suicides that happen at work, said Barry Nixon, the founder and executive director of the National Institute for the Prevention of Workplace Violence. Nixon added that the number of incidents of workplace violence appears to be on the decline, thanks in part to decisions by the government and a number of organizations to boost funding for security. In addition, Nixon noted that companies seem to be learning that preventing acts of workplace violence is better than simply reacting to such incidents, as more companies are asking his organization with help in developing preventative and proactive programs. Nixon said that there is more that companies can do to prevent acts of workplace violence, including engaging in regular and direct communications with employees about their role in preventing workplace violence, and training supervisors to properly handle employee concerns about the potential for violence.

Possible Domestic Terrorism in Colorado.

Federal and local law enforcement are looking for a male "person of interest" caught on surveillance video inside a Littleton, Colorado, mall after two bombs were discovered Wednesday, the anniversary of the Columbine massacre. "The surveillance video shows a white man with gray hair and a mustache, wearing a dark cap with a light-colored logo on the front. His shirt was horizontally striped gray and white, and he wore a dark jacket with silver buttons, jeans and dark shoes, the FBI said," reports The Denver Post. "The FBI earlier characterized the incident as possible domestic terrorism and said a suspect could face federal charges."

New Homeland Security Threat System starts!

Today the Department of Homeland Security retires the old color-coded terrorism threat system and replaces it with the National Terrorism Advisory System. "The new alerts will include a clear statement that there is an 'Imminent Threat' or 'Elevated Threat' along with clear and concise information about the threat," reports ABC News. "Imminent warns of a credible, specific and impending terrorist threat against the United States. Elevated is defined as a credible terrorist threat against the United States. The public will be informed of what the government is doing to mitigate the threat and what it can do deal with the threat.

Practice your family's fire escape plan every few months - it can save your child's life if a home fire occurs:

Make an escape plan with your family and agree on a common meeting place outside; practice a home fire drill on a regular basis. Test your smoke alarm batteries every month and change them at least once a year.

Be Prepared

• Keep your family safe, by installing a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm on every level of your home and inside and outside sleeping areas. In at least 23 percent of all fatal residential fires, no smoke alarms were present.
• Test smoke alarm batteries every month and change them at least once a year.
• Make an escape plan with your family and agree on a common meeting place outside; practice a home fire drill on a regular basis.
• If there is a fire, call 911 once you are safely outside.
• Families can further reduce their risk of injury or death by also installing residential sprinkler systems.
• Practice safe fire behaviors and know what to do in an emergency to give your family extra seconds to escape.

Lable Mexican Cartels as Terrorist Organizations?

The Dallas Morning News heaps praise on U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul's (R-TX) call to label Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. "It’s time to take the gloves off and stop treating these cartels as Mexican versions of the neighbourhood pusher. These gangs have murdered 35,000 people since 2006 — more than 10 times the number killed in the 9/11 attacks. That’s terrorism," the paper's editorial page declares. "By labeling cartel members as the terrorists they are, American law enforcers gain significant extra powers, and penalties are boosted for anyone who directly aids and abets the criminals. Money launderers and gun smugglers, for example, could face life terms in prison and fines of up to $50,000 per violation."

What Employers Need To Know About Workplace Bullying

National Underwriter P&C April 11, 2011 By Susanne Sclafane, PropertyCasualty360.com“Status-blind harassment”—more commonly known as workplace bullying—is a growing concern to employers and their employment practices liability insurers. But while the costs of having bullies in the workplace are clear, appropriate steps to recognize and rein in the problem aren’t always obvious.
Experts use the term “status-blind” or “equal-opportunity harassment” to distinguish workplace bullying from harassment targeted at classes of workers protected under federal and state statutes.
“It’s the boss who abuses his or her power not because someone is a woman over the age of 40 or Hispanic, but rather because the boss wants to bully and is a bully—and anyone who gets in the way is going to be a victim of that bullying, says Gerald Maatman Jr., a partner of Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago.
While there are currently no statutes outlawing bullying, lawyers and EPLI experts note that at least 10 states are considering legislative proposals to do just that. Even in the absence of anti-bullying statutes, however, the experts say there are other consequences to consider, such as employee turnover and sick days.
Highlighting serious ramifications, Adeola Adele, EPLI product leader for Marsh’s FINPRO group in New York, says, “Workplace violence starts with bullying.” She cites a case where an individual shot his co-workers. “The back-story was that he was bullied at work, and no one listened.”
Aon Hewitt’s Adler says training managers “to be good at mitigating the risk of bullying does not just involve focusing on the bully’s behavior, but really [means] carefully gauging the emotional state of all their employees to get a sense of whether they are victims.”
More generally, he explains that risk mitigation in this area really involves two components: pre-hire assessment and performance management.
“There are things that can be done to assess perspective employees for the tendency to express anger, to be aggressive, to show excitability—all factors that can lead to bullying.”
What if bullying tendencies are revealed during the hiring process?
“It would be perfectly legitimate in my view not to hire somebody who poses a reasonable risk,” Adler says, noting that he speaks from the perspective of an organizational psychologist, not a lawyer. “Bullying can result in lawsuits, loss of talent, creating a hostile environment for employees that would cause them to leave,” he says.
What do you do if somebody is a reasonable risk and they’re already on board, or because of their talents you want to hire them?
• First, companies need to have clear policy statements, conveying clear expectations that bullying is not tolerated and there will be consequences.
• Second, managers need to be trained to recognize signs of bullying and to be responsive in taking action so they’re not contributing inadvertently to creating a hostile work environment.
Recognizing behaviors related to bullying has two sides to it—recognizing the behavior of the bully, and paying attention to the emotional states and behaviors of potential or actual victims, Adler says. He cites findings of a Canadian research study published last year in a leading psychology journal showing that bullying is more likely to impact a victim’s work performance than sexual harassment.
David Carlson, Midwest Zone Leader of Marsh Risk Consulting’s Workforce Strategies Practice, agrees there needs to be education around workplace bullying. Right now, he says, only “the progressive companies are going to go out and have bullying policies and training.”
“For the less progressive ones, where it may be more pervasive, it’s a command-and-control issue. They’re going to wait until they’re told by state and local authorities and regulators that they have to do this,” he says.
Carlson says that suspected occurrences of bullying need to be fully and carefully investigated, and like Adler, believes that once it is identified, “progressive disciplinary is typical for most organizations.” But depending on the severity of the activity, “it could be grounds for immediate termination,” he adds.
“That has to come down to the policies and culture of the workplace. Companies need to have a zero-tolerance policy for anything like workplace violence, workplace bullying or sexual harassment,” he says. “There needs to be swift and immediate action.

Stopping Priates with burning eyes and vomit!

Wired.com reports that “two companies are offering new solutions to keep pirates at bay: blinding them with pepper spray and incapacitating them by making them hurl.” The first company, Shipboard Defense Systems, has partnered with the makers of Mace to offer an industrial strength version. The second company, company, Maritime Security Company, LLC, offers a package of defensive tools, including something like Mace and an unnamed substance that makes them vomit, reports Wired. These are the latest twists in the range of defenses being mustered to fend off pirates per guidance on best practices for the industry, notes the report

How to Help Those With Special Needs Prepare Before a Disaster Strikes

This something that unfortunately we do not spend enough time thinking about.

By Joseph Straw

04/01/2011 - For the disabled and their advocates, the story of emergency management begins with a woman named Benilda Caixeta. An immigrant from Brazil paralyzed by muscular dystrophy, Caixeta was a prolific volunteer and leader among disability advocates in her adopted hometown of New Orleans. Her efforts were well known and resulted in a citation for her work from then-Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco in 2004.

 

 

As Hurricane Katrina bore down on the U.S. Gulf Coast late in August 2005, Caixeta, 51, contacted an accessible transportation provider and made arrangements for a ride to a shelter. That ride never arrived. When the storm hit the city on August 29, Caixeta called various government agencies and friends seeking help. Soon, the levee containing the Industrial Canal running alongside her Ninth Ward neighborhood failed. A week later, Caixeta’s wheelchair and her dead body were found floating inside her home.

 

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Not spillover violence but spillover effects of hostilities in Mexico, that is the real threat to the US.

Very interesting.  Shows a new angle to how the violence in Mexico can effect both the US and its citizens.

A Texas sheriff goes online at the Washington Post to discuss the consequences of Mexico's drug war on poor U.S. border communities. "It is not spillover violence but spillover effects of hostilities in Mexico that pose the real threat to the United States," writes Sheriff Clint McDonald, a past president of the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition. "Spillover effects are the direct results of Mexican violence that influence U.S. citizens living in communities along the border. For example, Mexican gangs fighting to control territory around the frontier village of El Porvenir, in Chihuahua, have threatened for almost a year to kill its residents. To escape the violence, nearly the entire village eventually relocated to Texas border communities — without, of course, being screened or processed." According to McDonald,  "The results include schoolchildren fearing for their safety as their Mexican schoolmates talk of violence and murder, school buses 'tailed' by armed private security guards and criminals relocating to the United States with their families and conducting their operations from this country. The single greatest spillover effect: U.S. citizens living in fear."