Nuclear Weapons

From automobiles to butter knives, every type of equipment needs to be monitored and undergo routine maintenance. So, who is it that's taking care of the nation's nuclear arsenal? That job belongs to the Sandia National Laboratories. As their site says, they're, "Ensuring the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure, and reliable:" 

http://www.sandia.gov/missions/nuclear_weapons/index.html

The site not only provides information about how the Laboratories carry out this mission, it also includes a video "tour" of the work being done by Sandia. Laboratories' employees are in a rare position--they spend much of their time and effort ensuring the effectiveness of equipment that we all hope will never be used.

Child Heatstroke

Summer heat combined with hectic summer schedules can sometimes lead to child heatstroke and tragic results. This site from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides some tips to ensure that your child doesn't accidentally get forgotten in the back seat of a hot car:

http://www.safercar.gov/parents/InandAroundtheCar/heatstroke.htm

Even the best parents are only human. (Though some "children" are not. Four-footed furry children can get heatstroke too.)

Copyright

Events at the Republican National Convention, being held this week in Cleveland, have made some people curious about copyright, plagiarism, and whether or not musical artists have complete control over who can and cannot use their music. One place to start researching these topics is at the U.S. Copyright Office, which is part of the Library of Congress:

http://copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html

Other places worth checking are the sites of the Copyright Clearance Center, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), and BMI. For really complicated questions you can consult a lawyer who specializes in copyright (but I'm not sure even they understand it completely).

National Insurance Awareness Day

June 28 is, among other things, National Insurance Awareness Day. Here's a site from USA.gov that will help you learn about what types of insurance exist and how to buy it wisely:

https://www.usa.gov/insurance

Should everyone ensure that they're adequately insured? Well, it surely couldn't hurt.

Mosquitoes

Between the buzzing and the biting mosquitoes have always been annoying, but with the increase in mosquito-borne illnesses, they're now more dangerous than ever. Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to avoid mosquito bites and some information about why it's important:

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/stopmosquitoes/index.html

If you take the proper precautions, you can enjoy a summer dinner on the deck without becoming dessert for a bloodsucking party crasher.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month

The tragic events in Orlando make it more important than ever that we celebrate June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. People in the LGBT community have made invaluable contributions in social sciences and the arts, many of which are described on this page from the Library of Congress. 

http://loc.gov/lgbt/
 
American life is much richer thanks to the work of LGBT individuals. They deserve our gratitude and our respect. So, if you're a fan of Truman Capote, Margaret Mead, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, Alvin Ailey, or many others, join in the celebration.

Time-Barred Debts

Debt collectors have gotten both bolder and sneakier as the years have gone by. They may attempt to sue you for a very old debt, but if the debt is old enough, they may not be able to do so legally. To read more about "Time-Barred Debts," see this page from the Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0117-time-barred-debts

Note that one of the key sentences on the page says, "Although the collector may not sue you to collect the debt, you still owe it." Some things will go away of you ignore them long enough. Sadly, debt isn't one of those things.