Flag Etiquette

Federal law stipulates many aspects of flag etiquette. The section of law dealing with American Flag etiquette is generally referred to as the Flag Code. Some general guidelines from the Flag Code answer many of the most common questions:

• The flag should be lighted at all times, either by sunlight or by an appropriate light source.
• The flag should be flown in fair weather, unless the flag is designed for inclement weather use.
• The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
• The flag should not be used for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
• The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
• The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
• The flag should never have any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind placed on it, or attached to it.
• The flag should never be used for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
• When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
• The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
• When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.

Read a more comprehensive set of flagetiquette rules for display of the American Flag

 

Leaving for the summer?

Preparing Your Home When You Leave for the Summer
By Linda Cobb / Queen of Clean®

When you are leaving Arizona for the summer (lucky you!) and going back to a cooler climate, you need to prepare your home to literally be “home alone” for 3 to 6 months. Here’s what you should know.

Before You Leave:

Shut off water at the main shut off and be sure the person caring for your home knows where the shut off is.

Clean out the refrigerator and freezer, leave it clean and empty.

Leave AC on, but set the temperature higher. Check with your power provider for the best temperature to leave it at.

Close all drains in sinks, tubs, etc.

Cover toilets with plastic wrap.

Unplug computers

Prop open dishwasher to prevent growth of mold and mildew

Turn off water at washing machine and hot water heater

Turn off electricity to hot water heater or flip breaker

Unplug lamps, TV, stereos etc.

Close fireplace flue

Leave several lights on timers for a lived-in look

Let alarm people know you will be gone.

Let a trusted neighbor know you will be gone and who will be coming to the house and leave your emergency contact information with them.

Be sure you leave a complete list of emergency contact numbers for you and your plumber, electrician etc, with your home care person.

If you hire a home care service, be sure that they are licensed and bonded.

Here’s what your care person should do:

Weekly:

Run water in the sinks and garbage disposal

Flush toilets

Check for insects

Pick up door hangers, etc from front of house

Check doors and windows

Monthly:

Run the dishwasher to avoid dry seals. (Turn water on to run and off when finished)

Last Advice:

Leave everything in the home clean and neat. You can cover upholstered furniture with sheets to protect it. Buy them at thrift stores and keep just for that purpose.

Do a last walk through of the house and last, but not least, lock ALL the doors

Check Your Smoke Alarms

You can prevent tragedies simply by testing and maintaining your smoke alarms and practicing a fire escape plan. All smoke alarms in your house should be tested once a month, and their batteries replaced annually. Click here to download a guide from Jeff Audette Insurance, Phoenix, AZ

Every family should develop a fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends these measures because working smoke alarms and a fire escape plan will increase your protection in case of a fire.

Every year in the United States, about 3,000 people lose their lives in residential fires. Most fire victims die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not as a result of burns. Most deaths and injuries occur in fires that happen at night while the victims are asleep.

Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms in the home are considered one of the best and least expensive means of providing an early warning of a potentially deadly fire. Smoke alarms save lives, prevent injuries, and minimize property damage by enabling residents to detect fires early in their development. The risk of dying from fires in homes without smoke alarms is twice as high as in homes that have working smoke alarms.

All smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month to make sure they operate properly. If a smoke alarm is battery operated, replace the batteries at least once a year to make sure the alarm will work when it is needed. It’s a good practice to make replacement of batteries a seasonal routine, such as when resetting clocks in the fall or spring. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for testing smoke alarms and replacing the batteries.

If your battery-powered smoke alarm begins to emit a low-power warning, usually a chirping sound, replace the battery immediately with a fresh one. This will ensure that your smoke alarm will continue to provide protection. Courtesy U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Why should I purchase renters insurance?

Even though you may not own the building in which you live, you still have personal property as well as possible liability exposures that need to be protected. Your landlord’s insurance coverage protects his property from loss, but it does not cover your property.

In the event of a loss, could you afford to replace your personal property? If someone were injured at your residence due to your negligence, would you be able to pay for the expenses resulting from the injury? This is where renters insurance comes in. (Courtesy Virginia Bureau of Insurance)

Talk to us about renters coverage in Peoria and Phoenix Arizona. It costs less than you think to protect your valubale posessions!

Identity Theft – Email Scams

You get them every day... emails that look official, asking you to “click here” and login to your account. Don’t do it. Legitimate corporations NEVER ask you to do this. They may send you email that informs you of things you need to know. But they will never provide a link from the email directly into a login page. Instead, they will ask you to go to a browser and visit their website directly from the Internet, not by clicking on a link in an email.

The article shown below comes from www.privacyrights.org and contains helpful information:

Beware of spam (unsolicited e-mail messages) that asks for your SSN or other personal information. Many people receive e-mail messages that appear to be from their Internet Service Provider, (for example AOL or Yahoo), from a government agency like the Internal Revenue Service, from a bank, Amazon, eBay, or PayPal. The message typically says that the company or agency is updating its records or has detected fraudulent activity with your account and needs personal information from you, such as your Social Security number, account number, password, mother’s maiden name, and so on. It may direct you to an official-looking Web site through a link contained in the message.

Do not respond to such messages! These are called “phishing” scams. Although they appear to be legitimate, these messages and Web sites are scams to get your personal information. No reputable company or government agency sends e-mail messages asking for sensitive personal data. For more information, visit the following Web site: www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.

Protect Your Identity Now! 

Flood Insurance

Floods and flash floods can occur anytime, anywhere. What’s your best defense against devastating financial loss? Be prepared! Take a moment now to learn about your risks, resources and responsibilities. Peoria Arizona residents need a local agent who can help them know more about Flood Insurance.

Buying flood insurance is the best thing you can do to protect your home, business, family, and financial security from a flood. Visit FloodSmart.gov for great information!

When you are a flood insurance policyholder:

• Flood insurance compensates you for all covered losses.
• Coverage is relatively inexpensive.
• You can depend on being reimbursed for flood damages, even if the President does not declare a Federal disaster.
• You do not have to repay a loan, as you might have to with many Federal disaster relief packages. Your covered losses are paid in full.
• You can count on your claim being paid in the event of a flood loss because NFIP flood insurance is backed by the Federal government.
• Your agent can help you handle your claim quickly, so that you will not have to put your life on hold if a flood damages your property. You can even request a partial payment immediately after the flood, which can help you recover even faster.

Ready for College?

Getting ready to send your kid off to college? We all know the usual checklist… socks, underwear, new shoes and a haircut. But what about insurance? Coverage can vary widely from state to state. You need a local agent in Phoenix to help.

Does your family scholar have a laptop? Is it covered? What about a stereo and headphones, or an IPod? You should consider the following:

1. The number one crime on college campuses is theft.
2. Your young adult may own more stuff than you realize.
3. You may not have a list of what to report to the insurance company if there is a loss.
4. Many items are not covered automatically under your homeowner’s policy, or there may be limits in coverage. Items such as jewelry, laptops, and some other electronics may not automatically be covered in full.
5. Claims are handled more quickly when there is an inventory of your young person’s personal property, and especially when there is photo documentation.