by Cynthia Brian When it’s 2:15 in the morning, the power is out, the air smells of smoke, yet you are fast asleep, then you realize that firefighters are pounding on your door shouting, “Evacuate Now”, what do you do? I thought I was very prepared for an emergency with packed Go Bags in our vehicles and one in our hall closet that had a list in large letters of what to grab. But when my husband and I were given exactly ONE MINUTE to get out because the fire was only 100 feet

If you had one minute to evacuate your home before you would be in peril, do you know what to grab. Cynthia Brian had exactly that and although she thought she was prepared with filled emergency Go Bag, she learned some life-saving lessons in a recent fire. https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1317/One-Minute-to-Evacuate-a-personal-perspective-from-the-Oct-10-fire.html Remodeling is stressful. When you choose a contractor, you are choosing someone who will be part of

The loss of lives and the devastation to California forests and homes in the past couple of years has many people re-thinking global warming. There are bigger, costlier and more frequent wildfires burning in the state more than ever before. As the temperatures rise and the vegetation gets drier, California can expect a 50% increase in burning blazes. What needs to be done and how can we protect ourselves from the next inferno? Cynthia Brian fuels the debate on how to manage o

“Some say the world will end in fire.” Robert Frost A running crown fire came rolling down the hillside toward our Lake County mountain cabin, moving faster than any human could run. All exits were blocked. Trees vaporized. Sixteen civilians trapped in the valley were being gathered in the meadow around our house. This acre of lush green grass would be the safety zone, everyone’s last hope of survival. Ninety firefighters had been spread out along the roads, trails, and hills

A practice is a combination of an intention, an aspiration, and an action. Grounded in the depth and simplicity of his experience of leading a Zen monastery kitchen, Marc Lesser unpacks the richness of mindfulness in his book, Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader. With success stories, exercises, experiments, and activities, we’ll be able to implement the seven practices into our daily lives. An exploding community of people are increasing their finances by frugal living as th

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” ~Martin Buber Volcanoes, glaciers, highlands, prairies, lava flows, fire, ice. Nature untouched and untamed. Iceland. Resting on the boundary where the North American and Eurasian Tectonic plates meet, Iceland is a country of intense volcanic eruptions, boiling hot springs, rushing rivers, venting steam, spouting geysers, powerful waterfalls, ice caves, aqua blue lagoons, northern lights, and minimal su

If Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 charity's mission statement could be condensed into three simple words, they would be "positive message media." This goal takes many forms. Promoting literacy is one, and broadcasting weekly with inspiring content through Express Yourself! Teen Radio and StarStyle® Radio is another. The approach that most directly touches lives, however, is our OPERATION DISASTER RELIEF Outreach Program. Be the Star you Are!® (also known as BTSYA) was one of t