A Paranoid's Ultimate Survival Guide

by BARNES-SVARNEY, PATRICIASVARNEY, THOMAS E.

• ISBN13: 9781573929714
• ISBN10: 1573929719
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2002-06-01
• Publisher: Prometheus Books

Summary

This entertaining book enlightens the reader to the hidden (and sometimes not-so-hidden) dangers of our world, from what's lurking at your next picnic or on a kitchen sponge to bad bullfrogs and the dangers of burning backyard barrels. The authors do more than just list the possible dangers we all face in and outside our home. They also help the reader judge the severity of these lurking threats and offer suggested remedies and solutions. A concluding chapter is devoted to resources on the Web that will bring you up to date on what is known about each hazard. If you're feeling paranoid, 'A Paranoid's Ultimate Survival Guide' will show you why you have good reason to feel the way you do, and teach you how to cope with the very real threats around us. As your mother warned you, even paranoids have enemies.

Table of Contents

Preface	11	(4)
The Violent Earth	15	(32)
Earth Shaking	16	(15)
Earthquakes: Shake, Rattle, and Roll	16	(4)
Earthquakes Revisited: Quakes Out of Nowhere	20	(5)
Tsunamis: Let's Give a Big Wave	25	(6)
Why the Earth Has Zits	31	(10)
Volcanoes: In the Land of Mordor Where the Shadows Lie	31	(5)
Volcanoes Again: Smoldering in a Backyard Near You	36	(5)
The Downside of Downslides	41	(6)
Landslides: Soil in a Slump	41	(6)
Ocean and Climate Fears	47	(32)
The Ocean in Action	48	(9)
Rip Currents: The Riptides That Bind---and Hurt	48	(3)
Beach Erosion: There Goes the Neighborhood	51	(3)
Beach Waste: Down at the Seashore, Picking Sea Syringes	54	(3)
Ocean Party Animals and Plants	57	(13)
Jellyfish and Stingrays: Reach Out and Sting Someone	57	(4)
Other Venomous Animals: Not Quite Love Potion #9	61	(3)
Sharks: We Need a Bigger Boat	64	(6)
Coming Soon to a Climate Near You	70	(9)
Global Warming: Earth As a Crock-Pot	70	(6)
Rapid Climate Change: The Great Climatological Houdini	76	(3)
Weather Wary	79	(28)
Winds: They Could Blow You Away	80	(15)
Heat Bursts: Are We Well-Done Yet?	80	(2)
Downsloping Winds: ``Anything Can Happen...''	82	(2)
Macrobursts: Batten Down the Hatches	84	(2)
Tornadoes: Welcome to Oz	86	(4)
Hurricanes: Riders on the Storm	90	(2)
Dust Storms: The Grapes of Wrath	92	(3)
Lightning: When Nature Flashes Us	95	(6)
Lightning Strikes: Truly a Bolt from the Blue	95	(3)
Ball Lightning: Great Balls of Lightning	98	(3)
Rain and Snow: Caught in the Storm	101	(6)
Hail: Rain, Rain, the Hail's All Here	101	(2)
Snow: Not the Perfect Storm	103	(4)
Hazardous Space Stuff	107	(24)
Things to Watch Nearby	108	(14)
Space Weather: Something Wicked This Way Comes	108	(3)
Stellar Brightness: Our Sun's Idea of Fun	111	(2)
Near-Earth Asteroids: Someone's Knocking at the Door	113	(4)
Comets: What a Tail	117	(5)
The Oozing Ozone	122	(3)
Ozone Loss: It's Not Your Father's Tan	122	(3)
Things to Watch Out There	125	(6)
Killer Cosmic Clouds: When Interstellar Dust Gets in Your Eyes	125	(2)
Cosmic Ray Jets: Any Relation to the Jetsons?	127	(1)
Black Holes: Gobbling Up Everything	128	(3)
Travel - Time Terrors	131	(32)
Leaving on a Jet Plane	132	(11)
Deep Vein Thrombosis: Getting There Is Only Half the Fun	132	(5)
Disinsection: They Check In, but They Don't Check Out	137	(6)
Sick ``In-Country''	143	(20)
Insect-Borne Diseases: Dodging the Bites	143	(4)
Human-Borne Diseases: The Enemy Is Us	147	(8)
Food and Water: Tainted Temptations	155	(8)
Backyard Perils	163	(26)
Things in the Yard	164	(8)
Trees: Revenge of the Ents	164	(4)
Rabid Animals: Why Do You Think They Call It Wildlife?	168	(4)
How Not to Torch the Backyard	172	(6)
Backyard Burning: Something's Burning	172	(2)
Barbecuing: Charcoal Burning Everywhere...	174	(2)
Wildfires: Bad Burns	176	(2)
Your Backyard's Little Wildlife	178	(11)
Ticks: I'm Growing Attached to You	178	(5)
Mosquitoes: They're Everywhere! They're Everywhere!	183	(3)
Fire Ants: Not Necessarily Your Typical Picnic Variety	186	(3)
Body Beware	189	(34)
It's What's Inside That Counts	190	(5)
Prions: We're Just Prion Prey	190	(4)
Bacteria: Nosy Critters	194	(1)
It's What's Outside That Counts	195	(12)
SAD: There's No Light When You're SAD	195	(2)
Influenza: Facing the Flu	197	(4)
Mutations: Quick-Change Artists	201	(2)
Drug-Resistant Bacteria: Breeding the Superbug	203	(4)
Creatures without the Comforts	207	(16)
Tiny Critters: Mighty Mites	207	(4)
More Mites: A Natural Skin ``Treatment''	211	(4)
Lice: Keeping Your Head	215	(1)
Biting Bugs: Got Itch?	216	(7)
No Place Like Home?	223	(42)
What's Haunting Your House?	224	(15)
Pesticides: A Walk on the Wild (Chemical) Side	224	(4)
Hot Tubs: A Waterworld for Germs	228	(3)
Lead Poisoning: Leading It Out	231	(4)
Computers: Why We're Really Sick of Computers	235	(4)
Kitchen Craziness	239	(12)
Food Poisoning: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner	239	(5)
Common Household Items: D-Day for Bugs	244	(7)
Sick of Buildings	251	(9)
Sick Building Syndrome: House Calls...Literally	251	(3)
Carbon Monoxide: Don't Take a Breath	254	(3)
Radon: Just Like a Scary Movie	257	(3)
Just When You Thought It Was Safe...	260	(5)
...It All Comes Tumbling Down	260	(5)
Epilogue	265	(2)
Endnotes and Extras	267	(14)
Index	281