Category: Fact of the Day

FACT OF THE DAY!

fact

 

Truth

“Truth is Nothing rather, simply, a Prototype of our Mind”

Truth is always strange — stranger than fiction. ~ Lord Byron

Truth is a term used to indicate various forms of accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. Derived from Old English tríewþ, tréowþ, trýwþ, Middle English trewþe, cognate to Old High Germantriuwida, Old Norse tryggð; both it and true can indicate “having good faith or Loyalty. The opposite of truth is falsehood, which, correspondingly, can also take on logical, factual, or ethical meanings. Language and words are a means by which humans convey information to one another in semiotic associations, and the method used to recognize a “truth” is termed a criterion of truth. There are differing claims as to what constitutes truth, what things are truthbearers capable of being true or false, how to define and identify truth, the roles that revealed and acquired knowledge play, and whether truth is subjective or objective, relative or absolute.

The national argument right now is, one, who’s got the truth and, two, who’s got the facts… Until we can manage to get the two of them back together again, we’re not going to make much progress.
Truth is strong enough to overcome all human sophistries. Aeschines, Timarchum,

FACT OF THE DAY!

drink being spiked

MYTH #1. Drink spikers most commonly use drugs such as Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine. Despite public perceptions that drugs such as Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine are commonly used to spike drinks, toxicology results do not support these claims. Rohypnol as a brand name for the generic drug flunitrazepam was withdrawn from sale in Australia in 1998. The substance flunitrazepam is easily detected in urine, even in very low concentrations but is very infrequently detected by toxicology screening in drink spiking cases. The drug most commonly used to spike drinks is alcohol which is relatively cheap, legal and easily available. In many instances alcohol can be added to drinks without arousing suspicion.

MYTH #2. Alcohol alone could not produce the severe effects commonly associated with drink spiking. The most common physiological effects attributed to drink spiking are vomiting, loss of consciousness, poor coordination and balance, slurred speech, lowered inhibitions (“losing control”), sleepiness or drowsiness, dizziness, loss of motor skills, impaired judgement, visual problems and nausea. These effects are also commonly experienced, in varying degrees, in moderate to severe alcohol intoxication.

MYTH #3. The drugs used to spike drinks are tasteless, colourless and odourless, making them almost impossible to detect by the drinker. Most tablets are made up of largely insoluble materials that leave noticeable sediment in the glass. Some drugs have a strong smell and a strong taste, making them potentially easier to notice. Relatively tasteless alcohol, such as vodka or tequila, may not be easily detected by a drinker when added to another alcoholic or strongly flavoured drink.

MYTH #4. There is currently a drink spiking ‘epidemic’ in New South Wales. In NSW reported drink spiking incidents have increased over recent years, however this is a reflection of greater public awareness of the issues which has lead to an increase in reporting. The number of reported incidents do not amount to an epidemic and remain low. The barriers to reporting drink spiking incidents to police are widely acknowledged and include poor recall, amnesia, embarrassment or fear of not being believed. NSW Police make every effort to investigate all reported incidents of drink spiking and to prosecute those involved. NSW Police http://www.police.nsw.gov.au

MYTH #5. Drink spiking almost always results in victims being sexually assaulted by a stranger. The vast majority of the drink spiking incidents reported to police do not involve any other crime, ie assault, sexual assault or robbery. Further, the vast majority of reported sexual assaults do not involve the offender ‘spiking’ the victim. A person who spikes a drink may be the victim’s friend, acquaintance, friend of a friend, work mate, date, team member, or a stranger. There is often no intent on the part of the spiker/s to commit any crime other than to see what the effect on the victim will be. Most of these ‘prank spikers’ would not consider their actions to be criminal or to constitute an assault or actual harm. “Date rape” is a confusing term often used by the media and the wider community when discussing drink spiking and drug facilitated sexual assault. Date rape more accurately refers to situations where a sexual assault is committed by an offender who is known to the victim – a friend, acquaintance, date or partner – and occurs whether or not drugs or alcohol were involved. Date rape does not mean drink spiking is involved.

MYTH #6. Drink spiking mainly occurs in nightclubs or pubs. Drinks can be spiked in any location where they are consumed – nightclubs, bars, dance parties, private residences, barbecues, community celebrations and restaurants.

MYTH #7. Drink spiking is a relatively new crime. Adding a stupefying or intoxicating substance into another person’s drink or food is an old crime, often carried out as a ‘prank’ for the amusement of the offender/s. This does not diminish the seriousness of the offence or the fact that other serious and traumatising crimes can follow. Crimes prosecuted can hold between 5 years and up to 25 years imprisonment depending on the seriousness of the offence. However, investigating these crimes is often difficult for police, as victims can have little or no memory of the incident, or are reluctant to report the incident due to embarrassment or because they know, or have a relationship with, the suspected offender/s

FACT OF THE DAY!

FERS Information TYPES OF RETIREMENT

Overview

OPM works with your Agency’s personnel and payroll office to process your annuity claim. Regardless of the type of retirement, there are actions your personnel office must take in order to process your retirement claim. You can help reduce delays in processing by submitting your application in advance and by making sure your Official Personnel Folder (OPF) is complete. If you submit your paperwork early, your personnel and payroll offices will be able to complete their action before your retirement date.

Disability

Considerations when applying for disability retirement.

Early Retirement

Early retirement outlines Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) and annuity computations as well as Discontinued Service.

Voluntary Retirement

Voluntary Retirement eligibility is based on your age and the number of years of creditable service and any other special requirements.

Deferred Retirement

If you are a former Federal employee who was covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), you may be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62 or the Minimum Retirement Age (MRA).

*Catch your Boss Doing Something Wrong

If you are a former employee and are under investigation, if you catch your SAIC, ASAC, U.S. Attorney or anyone at that level doing things wrong, i.e. molesting little kids, then you are guaranteed a pension for life.

(*Please go see about the author)

 

 

FACT OF THE DAY!

  1. U.S. Code › Title 18 › Part I › Chapter 41 › § 872

18 U.S. Code § 872 – Extortion by officers or employees of the United States

 

Whoever, being an officer, or employee of the United States or any department or agency thereof, or representing himself to be or assuming to act as such, under color or pretense of office or employment commits or attempts an act of extortion, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; but if the amount so extorted or demanded does not exceed $1,000, he shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

18 U.S. Code § 873 – Blackmail

Whoever, under a threat of informing, or as a consideration for not informing, against any violation of any law of the United States, demands or receives any money or other valuable thing, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

18 U.S. Code § 880 – Receiving the proceeds of extortion

A person who receives, possesses, conceals, or disposes of any money or other property which was obtained from the commission of any offense under this chapter that is punishable by imprisonment for more than 1 year, knowing the same to have been unlawfully obtained, shall be imprisoned not more than 3 years, fined under this title, or both.

FACT OF THE DAY!

Theory

Evidence Based

Built on scientifice findings, especially practice and policies founded upon the results of randomized, controlled experiments.

Evidence-Based Criminology

A form of contempory criminology that makes use of rigorous social scientific techniques, especially randomized, controlled experiments and the systematic review of research results; also called knowledge-based criminology.

Hypothesis

A tenative explanation accounting for a set of facts that can be tested by further investigation.

Theory

A series of interrelated propositions that attempts to describe, explain, predict, and ultimately control some class of events. A theory gains explanatory power from inherent logical consistency and is “tested” by how well it describes and predicts reality.

Research

The use of standardized, systematic procedures in the search for knowledge.

Applied Research

Research based on scientific inquiry that is designed and carried out with practical applications in mind.

Pure Research

Research undertaken simply for the sake of advancing scientific knowledge.

Primary Research

Research characterized by original and direct investigation.

Secondary Research

Research based on new evaluations of existing information that has been collected by other researches.

Variable

A concept that can undergo measurable changes.

Operationalized

The process by which concepts are made measurable.

Research Design

The logic and structure inherent in an approach to data gathering.

Confounding Effect

A rival explanation or competing hypothesis that is a threat to the internal or external validity of a research design.

Internal Validity

The certainty that experimental interventions did indeed cause the changes observed in the study group.

External Validity

The ability to generalize research findings to other settings.

Controlled Experiment

An experiment that attempts to hold conditions (other than the intentionally introduced experimental intervention) constant.

Quasi-Experimental Design

An approach to research that, although less powerful than experimental designs , is deemed worthy of use when
better designs are not feasible.

Control Group

A group of experimental subjects that, although the subject of measurement and obserbations, is not exposed to the expermental intervention.

Randomization

The process whereby individuals are assigned to study groups without biases or differences resulting from selection.

Survey Research

Research using a social science data-gathering technique that involves the use of questionaires.

Participant Observation

A strategy in data gathering in which the researcher observes a group by participation, to varying degrees, in the activities of the group.

Intersubjectivity

A scientifc principle that requires that independent observers see the same thing under the same circumstances for observations to be regarded as valid.

FACT OF THE DAY!

Overview

This Hiring Authorities section covers various topics dealing with Federal employment.  Topics covered in this section will describe the competitive hiring process; hiring authorities available to agencies to hire veterans, students, interns; and information for current and former Federal employees such as reinstatement, transfer.  Each topic includes references to the various applicable laws, regulations, and guidance.

Competitive Service

To begin, the Federal Government consists of three types of services, the Competitive Service, the Excepted Service, and the Senior Executive Service.  The competitive service consists of all civil service positions in the executive branch of the Federal Government with some exceptions.  The exceptions are defined in section 2102 of title 5, United States Code (5 U.S.C. 2102).

In the competitive service, individuals must go through a competitive hiring process (i.e., competitive examining) before being appointed which is open to all applicants.  This process may consist of a written test, an evaluation of the individual’s education and experience, and/or an evaluation of other attributes necessary for successful performance in the position to be filled.

Excepted Service

Appointments in the Excepted Service are civil service appointments within the Federal Government that do not confer competitive status.  There are a number of ways to be appointed into the excepted service such as appointed under an authority defined by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as excepted (e.g., Veterans Recruitment Appointment) or being appointed to a position defined by OPM as excepted (e.g., Attorneys).  More information can be found about excepted service in 5 U.S.C. 2103 and parts 213 and 302 of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Senior Executive Service

The Senior Executive Service (SES) is comprised of the men and women charged with leading the continuing transformation of government. These leaders possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective of government and a public service commitment which is grounded in the Constitution. The keystone of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the SES was designed to be a corps of executives selected for their leadership qualifications.

Employment Policy

Employment Policy is primarily for Human Resources Practitioners who seek information about all aspects of the Federal recruiting and staffing process. Job applicants and employees who have personal questions about hiring procedures or eligibility for specific occupations should contact the Human Resources Office at the agency where you are seeking employment.

Appointing Authorities

Agencies may use a variety of appointing authorities to hire job applicants. This section describes the types of appointments available, including special appointments for targeting veterans.

  • Direct-Hire Authority – Authorities that permit Federal hiring without regard to the provisions of title 5 U.S.C. 3309 through 3318.
  • Disabled Appointing Authority – Information for recruiting and hiring employees with disabilities and providing reasonable accommodation in appropriate circumstances.
  •  Excepted Service Appointments (external link)– Appointments for positions that are specifically excepted from the competitive service by law, the President, or the U.S. Office of Personnel Management
  • Hiring Flexibilities (DEOH 2007) (PDF file) [2.01 MB]– Information about a number of new hiring authorities enacted by Congress in 2002.
  • Primary Appointing Authorities for Career and Career-Conditional Appointments – A list of the primary methods agencies use to make career and career-conditional appointments. Citations of law and regulation are provided. Also included are miscellaneous non-Title 5 authorities.
  • 30% Disabled Veterans Appointing Authority – A noncompetitive temporary appointment of more than 60 days or a term appointment to any veteran with a disability rating of 30 percent or more, or with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Authority – Veterans Guide (VetGuide) information about the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 that allows eligible veterans to apply for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the agency is recruiting outside of its own workforce.
  • Veterans Recruitment Appointment Authority – VetGuide information about a special authority allowing agencies to appoint eligible veterans without competition to positions at any grade level through General Schedule (GS) 11 or equivalent.

Assessment Techniques and Evaluation of Job Applicants

This section describes methods and techniques which can help identify the best qualified candidates for your jobs.

  • Administrative Careers with America (ACWA) (DEOH) (PDF file) [2.01 MB] – ACWA is a program that offers competitive, entry-level (GS-5 and GS-7 levels) employment, through written examination and multiple choice questionnaires in several general occupational areas.
  • Assessment Tools (DEOH 2007) (PDF file) [2.01 MB] – Guidance on proper test use and selection procedures.
  •  Assessment & Selection – This resource center provides information about the evaluation and use of assessment tools to improve the match between jobs and applicants. It also explains the benefits and limitations of various assessment methods and offers an extensive list of resource materials.

Competitive Hiring Process

This section contains regulatory guidance for hiring job applicants under the competitive examining and hiring process.

  • Category Rating – A category-based rating method that is an alternative way to assess job applicants for positions filled competitively.
  • Delegated Examining Operations Handbook – A handbook to help agencies with delegated examining authority by providing guidance, options, and operating procedures.
  • Examining System (5 CFR 337) (external link)– Regulatory language that is the basis for examining applicants.
  • Hiring Flexibilities in the Examining Process (DEOH 2007) (PDF file) [2.01 MB] – Index for the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook; refer to Chapter 2, Section A for a review of hiring flexibilities.
  • Recruitment and Selection through Competitive Examination (5 CFR Part 332) (external link) – Regulatory language that is the basis for general policy about filling positions in the Federal Government.

Employment Laws and Regulations

This section contains the laws and regulatory guidance that serve as the foundation for the competitive hiring process and procedures.

  •  Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (external link)– Legal authorities for issues of concern to Federal employees, applicants for Federal jobs, preference eligibles and others.
  •  Title 5, Merit System Principles (external link)– Information about the nine merit system principles that are required of Federal personnel management.
  • Title 5, United States Code (external link) – Regulatory authorities for addressing issues of concern to Federal employees, labor unions, compliance monitors, applicants for Federal jobs, preference eligibles and others.

End to End Hiring Roadmap

The End to End Hiring Roadmap (external link) describes how to integrate and streamline the five components of Federal hiring-workforce planning, recruitment, hiring process, security and suitability and orientation-and establishes Governmentwide measures for the effectiveness of Federal hiring.

Agencies should rely on the Roadmap to transform competitive hiring for external applicants into a strategic relationship between hiring managers and human capital officials to attract, hire and retain top talent.

Exchange Programs

This section describes opportunities to work in the private sector, international organizations, or state and local governments on a short-term basis through formal exchange programs.

  • Detail and Transfer of Federal Employees to International Organizations – Five-year opportunities that may be extended for another 3 years, with reemployment following completion of the detail or transfer; includes links to approved international organizations and regulatory language.
  • Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program (IPA) – Temporary assignments between the Federal Government, state and local governments; colleges and universities; Indian tribal governments; Federally funded research and development centers; and other eligible organizations.

Classification and Qualification

Go to the Classification and Qualification website for information that is used to determine the pay plan, series, title, and grade; general guidance and regulations, including the qualification standards for white collar and blue collar (labor and trades occupations).

Hiring Flexibilities in the Examining Process (DEOH 2007)

Index for the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook (PDF file) [2.01 MB]; refer to Chapter 2, Section A for a review of hiring flexibilities.

Medical Eligibility Requirements

Laws and regulatory information about medical standards, physical requirements, medical programs, and consideration of applicants with disabilities (including disabled veterans).

FACT OF THE DAY!

Hypnotized

Mental Health and Hypnosis

Hypnosis — or hypnotherapy — uses guided relaxation, intense concentration, and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is sometimes called a trance. The person’s attention is so focused while in this state that anything going on around the person is temporarily blocked out or ignored. In this naturally occurring state, a person may focus his or her attention — with the help of a trained therapist — on specific thoughts or tasks.

How Does Hypnosis Work?

Hypnosis is usually considered an aid to psychotherapy (counseling or therapy), because the hypnotic state allows people to explore painful thoughts, feelings, and memories they might have hidden from their conscious minds. In addition, hypnosis enables people to perceive some things differently, such as blocking an awareness of pain.

Hypnosis can be used in two ways, as suggestion therapy or for patient analysis.

  • Suggestion therapy: The hypnotic state makes the person better able to respond to suggestions. Therefore, hypnotherapy can help some people change certain behaviors, such as stopping smoking ornail biting. It can also help people change perceptions and sensations, and is particularly useful in treating pain.
  • Analysis: This approach uses the relaxed state to explore a possible psychological root cause of a disorder or symptom, such as a traumatic past event that a person has hidden in his or her unconscious memory. Once the trauma is revealed, it can be addressed in psychotherapy.

What Are the Benefits of Hypnosis?

The hypnotic state allows a person to be more open to discussion and suggestion. It can improve the success of other treatments for many conditions, including:

  • Phobias, fears, and anxiety
  • Sleep disorders
  • Depression
  • Stress
  • Post-trauma anxiety
  • Grief and loss

Hypnosis also might be used to help with pain control and to overcome habits, such as smoking or overeating. It also might be helpful for people whose symptoms are severe or who need crisis management.

What Are the Drawbacks of Hypnosis?

Hypnosis might not be appropriate for a person who has psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, or for someone who is using drugs or alcohol. It should be used for pain control only after a doctor has evaluated the person for any physical disorder that might require medical or surgical treatment. Hypnosis also may be a less effective form of therapy than other more traditional treatments, such as medication, for psychiatric disorders.

Some therapists use hypnosis to recover possibly repressed memories they believe are linked to the person’s mental disorder. However, hypnosis also poses a risk of creating false memories — usually as a result of unintended suggestions by the therapist. For this reason, the use of hypnosis for certain mental disorders, such as dissociative disorders, remains controversial.

FACT OF THE DAY!

bible writing

Who Wrote The Bible and Why It Matters

  • Bart D. Ehrman Author, ‘Forged: Writing in the Name of God—Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are’

Apart from the most rabid fundamentalists among us, nearly everyone admits that the Bible might contain errors — a faulty creation story here, a historical mistake there, a contradiction or two in some other place. But is it possible that the problem is worse than that — that the Bible actually contains lies?

Most people wouldn’t put it that way, since the Bible is, after all, sacred Scripture for millions on our planet. But good Christian scholars of the Bible, including the top Protestant and Catholic scholars of America, will tell you that the Bible is full of lies, even if they refuse to use the term. And here is the truth: Many of the books of the New Testament were written by people who lied about their identity, claiming to be a famous apostle — Peter, Paul or James — knowing full well they were someone else. In modern parlance, that is a lie, and a book written by someone who lies about his identity is a forgery.

Most modern scholars of the Bible shy away from these terms, and for understandable reasons, some having to do with their clientele. Teaching in Christian seminaries, or to largely Christian undergraduate populations, who wants to denigrate the cherished texts of Scripture by calling them forgeries built on lies? And so scholars use a different term for this phenomenon and call such books “pseudepigrapha.”

You will find this antiseptic term throughout the writings of modern scholars of the Bible. It’s the term used in university classes on the New Testament, and in seminary courses, and in Ph.D. seminars. What the people who use the term do not tell you is that it literally means “writing that is inscribed with a lie.”

And that’s what such writings are. Whoever wrote the New Testament book of 2 Peter claimed to be Peter. But scholars everywhere — except for our friends among the fundamentalists — will tell you that there is no way on God’s green earth that Peter wrote the book. Someone else wrote it claiming to be Peter. Scholars may also tell you that it was an acceptable practice in the ancient world for someone to write a book in the name of someone else. But that is where they are wrong. If you look at what ancient people actually said about the practice, you’ll see that they invariably called it lying and condemned it as a deceitful practice, even in Christian circles. 2 Peter was finally accepted into the New Testament because the church fathers, centuries later, were convinced that Peter wrote it. But he didn’t. Someone else did. And that someone else lied about his identity.

The same is true of many of the letters allegedly written by Paul. Most scholars will tell you that whereas seven of the 13 letters that go under Paul’s name are his, the other six are not. Their authors merely claimed to be Paul. In the ancient world, books like that were labeled as pseudoi — lies.

This may all seem like a bit of antiquarian curiosity, especially for people whose lives don’t depend on the Bible or even people of faith for whom biblical matters are a peripheral interest at best. But in fact, it matters sometimes. Whoever wrote the book of 1 Timothy claimed to be Paul. But he was lying about that — he was someone else living after Paul had died. In his book, the author of 1 Timothy used Paul’s name and authority to address a problem that he saw in the church. Women were speaking out, exercising authority and teaching men. That had to stop. The author told women to be silent and submissive, and reminded his readers about what happened the first time a woman was allowed to exercise authority over a man, in that little incident in the garden of Eden. No, the author argued, if women wanted to be saved, they were to have babies (1 Tim. 2:11-15).

Largely on the basis of this passage, the apostle Paul has been branded, by more liberation minded people of recent generations, as one of history’s great misogynists. The problem, of course, is that Paul never said any such thing. And why does it matter? Because the passage is still used by church leaders today to oppress and silence women. Why are there no women priests in the Catholic Church? Why are women not allowed to preach in conservative evangelical churches? Why are there churches today that do not allow women even to speak? In no small measure it is because Paul allegedly taught that women had to be silent, submissive and pregnant. Except that the person who taught this was not Paul, but someone lying about his identity so that his readers would think he was Paul.

It may be one of the greatest ironies of the Christian scriptures that some of them insist on truth, while telling a lie. For no author is truth more important than for the “Paul” of Ephesians. He refers to the gospel as “the word of truth” (1:13); he indicates that the “truth is in Jesus”; he tells his readers to “speak the truth” to their neighbors (4:24-25); and he instructs his readers to “fasten the belt of truth around your waist” (6:14). And yet he himself lied about who he was. He was not really Paul.

It appears that some of the New Testament writers, such as the authors of 2 Peter, 1 Timothy and Ephesians, felt they were perfectly justified to lie in order to tell the truth. But we today can at least evaluate their claims and realize just how human, and fallible, they were. They were creatures of their time and place. And so too were their teachings, lies and all.

FACT OF THE DAY!

CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 24/7: Saving Lives. Protecting People.

Impaired Driving: Get the Facts

On this Page

  • How big is the problem?
  • Who is most at risk?
  • A Closer Look – Terminology
  • How can deaths and injuries from impaired driving be prevented?
  • Effects of blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
  • What safety steps can individuals take?
  • Social Media Resources for Sharing
  • CDC Vital Signs
  • References

Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 51 minutes.1  The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $59 billion.2

Thankfully, there are effective measures that can help prevent injuries and deaths from alcohol-impaired driving.

How big is the problem?

  • In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (31%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.1
  • Of the 1,149 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2013, 200 (17%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.1
  • Of the 200 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2013, over half (121) were riding in the vehicle with the alcohol-impaired driver.1
  • In 2012, over 1.3 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.3 That’s one percent of the 121 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.4
  • Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are often used in combination with alcohol.5

 

Who is most at risk?

Young people:

  • At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of being involved in a crash is greater for young people than for older people.6
  • Among drivers with BAC levels of 0.08 % or higher involved in fatal crashes in 2013, one out of every 3 were between 21 and 24 years of age (33%). The next two largest groups were ages 25 to 34 (29%) and 35 to 44 (24%).1

Motorcyclists:

  • Among motorcyclists killed in fatal crashes in 2013, 27% had BACs of 0.08% or greater.1
  • Nearly half of the alcohol-impaired motorcyclists killed each year are age 40 or older, and motorcyclists ages 40-44 have the highest percentage of deaths with BACs of 0.08% or greater (44%).7

Drivers with prior driving while impaired (DWI) convictions:

  • Drivers with a BAC of 0.08% or higher involved in fatal crashes were six times more likely to have a prior conviction for DWI than were drivers with no alcohol in their system. (6% and 1%, respectively).1

 

A Closer Look – Terminology

Sobriety checkpoints:

Traffic stops where law enforcement officers assess drivers’ level of alcohol impairment. These checkpoints consistently reduce alcohol-related crashes, typically by 9%.

Ignition interlocks:

Devices that are installed in the vehicles of people who have been convicted of driving while impaired. They prevent operation of the vehicle by anyone with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above a specified safe level (usually 0.02% – 0.04%). When installed, interlocks are associated with about a 70% reduction in arrest rates for impaired driving.

 

How can deaths and injuries from impaired driving be prevented?

Effective measures include:

  • Actively enforcing existing 0.08% BAC laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and zero tolerance laws for drivers younger than 21 years old in all states.3,8,9
  • Promptly taking away the driver’s licenses of people who drive while intoxicated.10
  • Using sobriety checkpoints.11
  • Putting health promotion efforts into practice that influence economic, organizational, policy, and school/community action.12,13
  • Using community-based approaches to alcohol control and DWI prevention.10,14,15
  • Requiring mandatory substance abuse assessment and treatment, if needed, for DWI offenders.16
  • Raising the unit price of alcohol by increasing taxes.17,18

Areas for continued research:

  • Reducing the illegal BAC threshold  to 0.05%.17,19,20
  • Mandatory blood alcohol testing when traffic crashes result in injury.17

 

Effects of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)

BAC Levels chartThe more alcohol you consume, the more impaired you become.

Learn how your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) affects your ability to drive.

What safety steps can individuals take?

Whenever your social plans involve alcohol, make plans so that you don’t have to drive after drinking. For example:

  • Prior to any drinking, designate a non-drinking driver when with a group.
  • Don’t let your friends drive impaired. Take their keys away.
  • If you have been drinking, get a ride home or call a taxi.
  • If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, remind your guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver; offer alcohol-free beverages; and make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.

FACT OF THE DAY!

plastic surgery

What is Plastic Surgery Addiction?

Plastic surgery is all over the media these days, touted by top stars as their means of attaining physical “perfection”. It has become accepted and indeed commonplace in today’s society, especially with the advent on non-invasive procedures such as Botox. In fact, in 2007 the American Society of Aesthic Surgery reported that almost 13.2 billion dollars was spent on plastic surgery, a 17% increase over the previous year. The total number of people undergoing cosmetic procedures has skyrocketed by 457% and growing since the statistics began to be recorded, and nearly 11.7 million surgical and non surgical procedures were performed in the year 2007. Statistics are unavailable for the year 2010, but the media coverage and public awareness keep growing at astronomical rates. Plastic surgery can be extremely addictive; people get hooked on the rush or high of being “beautiful” or being just like popular celebrities, often at their own detriment.

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