Other Press ‘Don't get burned! by Daniela Zanatta Skin Cancer and UV Rays How to be Sun Smart! It's that time of year for hitting the beach, or for just being out in the sun. Whether you're gardening, walking, driving or swimming outside, the risk of getting a sunburn increases the more time you spend in the sun. In order to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the sun you should keep these tips in mind: the hottest times of the day are from 11 a.m. to3 p.m. -sunscreen should be applied 15 - 30 min. before exposure to sun ‘the sunscreen should have a minimum SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or more “the sunscreen should have the logo of the Canadian Dermatology Association -wear sunglasses that provide 90% protection from UV-A and 95% from UV-B light ‘the fair skinned, blondes and red heads are more likely to burn easily -you should protect your skin from the sun every day from late Spring PHOTO: Gunther Gamper through to early Fall ‘long-sleeved shirts, pants, a hat and sunglasses offer the best protection -closely-woven materials offers natural protection -if you can see through it, the UV rays will be able to get through too , ‘wear a broad-brimmed hat: baseball caps do not protect the back of the neck PHOTO: Toni Jones or ears ‘indoor ‘tanning, using sun lamps, will damage your skin just the way that UV from the sun does -UV rays can penetrate light cloud cover and haze ‘up to 80% of the sun’s UV radiation can bounce back from snow ‘concrete, sand and water reflect up to 20% Special Tips for Protecting Kids ‘babies under 1 year should be kept entirely out of direct sunlight ‘never use sunscreen on infants under the age of 6 months ‘plan sports and other outdoor activities for the cooler times of the day Sunburn treatment Most people who burn will get Ist degree burns.. Skin will be red and possibly swollen and will peel in a few days. Some suggested treatments are: over the counter cortisone cream or moisturizing cream, topical anesthetics (to help numb the pain), hydrocortisone creams or products containing antihistamines (to help reduce inflammation), aspirin or ibuprofen products to counteract inflammatory process (although aspirin should not be given to young children), ‘for those who prefer the more natural method: -cool wet cloths to cool off the skin, ‘cool compresses of equal parts milk and water, ‘the juice of aloe vera plant leaves spread on the burn ‘raw cucumber, potato slices or yogurt moisten skin, feel cool, and may help reduce inflammation, ‘add oatmeal (1-2 ups of finely milled oatmeal), or baking soda (1/4 - 1/2 cup), or white cider vinegar (1 cup) to bath water In all cases avoid perfumes, scented soaps or bubble baths that may dry or irritate the skin It would be a good idea to see a doctor if blisters develop within the first few hours, or severe burns are accompanied by headache, chills or a fever. Ultraviolet index Index 0-3.9 4.0-6.9 7.0-8.9 90+ Timetoburn 60+min. 30min. 20min. <15min. “one Rieger +. - PHOTO: Chris Ricard The Ultraviolet index gives you an idea of how long you can safely stay outdoors. The radio or weather channel will give you the daily UV index. Dear Angeline: I have a roommate who’s really selfish and doesn’t know how to give, only how to take. I've tried talking to her about her attitude but every attempt I make she gets angry and then starts to cry. This is going nowhere. Any suggestions? Tired of Fighting Dear Fighting: If you've really gotten to that point where things don’t seem to be getting resolved then I suggest that you do one of two things. First, make it clear to her that you won't be lending her any more things until she learns to share. Secondly, tell her that you've come to the end of the line and either she can sit down and discuss the situation rationally or you'll have to make different living arrangements. If she agrees to a rational discussion then explain that crying and getting angry will not accomplish anything. She needs to listen to your concerns regarding borrowing items and you need to also hear her’s. If this person is serious about living together harmoniously then she will hear you Dear Angeline Advice for the lovelorn out. Dear Angeline: Ihave a friend who went out with a womanizer, who never got emotional. Even though they were both in love, he never admitted his love to her. Then one day she told him that she loved him. He, however, got scared and ran away from the situation. Now, two years have passed and she still hasn’t gotten over him. She has remained friends with his family and therefore kept in touch. One day, she ran into him and his mother having lunch. But she did not confront him. The next day she talked to his mother, who admitted that her son wanted to talk to her the day before but she had kept him away. Now she’s got an opportunity to see him, so she’s off to the Island for a meeting. He’s cooking her dinner, but she’s also terrified of getting hurt again. Asa friend, I really don’t know what to tell her. What do you think of the situation, is there any hope? Cupid's Helper Dear Helper: If your friend is willing to take the chance to risk further heartbreak then she’s got to either really love this man and believe there’s a chance for them or be crazy. Anyone who’s been hurt like that has a great degree of tolerance for having their emotions played with. To admit that she loved him was a risk. Notall people respond to risk in the same way. Some people stand up to it, some aren't ready for it, and others just cower away from it. Perhaps this man just wasn’t ready for it at that time. Maybe now he’s got his life in order and his emotions sorted and he’s ready to give it another shot On the other hand, he may still be uncertain and that is what your friend needs to be prepared for. It’s always better to be prepared for the worst when the final outcome is uncertain. Since she’s already been hurt once maybe she is prepared to take the chance. All you can do as her friend is be there for her whatever happens. She’s going to need a lot of support if} he hurts her again. Sometimes a chance for love is worth the risk. Sometimes, the heartbreak isn’t. BBQ cont'd from page 4 Perfect cooking fire After piling your briquettes in a pyramid or mound and letting them heat to a glowing red with gray ash on them, you can spread them out with a poker. The more you spread out the coals, the cooler the fire will be. In this way you can. control the heat depending on the type of food being cooked. For more heat just push the coals together. If you know that you will be cooking on the same fire for awhile, add a few briquettes inbetween the first batch of food, so that they will be hot for the next batch and so all the residue on them will have burned off. It only takes few minutes for the new briquettes to be ready. The fire may have a tendency to go out when you first start and you'll have to check it for the 30 minutes it takes to get ready. The heat for most cooking can be tested by holding your hands over your spread out coals (making sure not to touch the grill) and if you can hold them there for two seconds you have high heat. A medium heat is indicated by being able to hold your hands over the fire for three to four seconds. If you can hold you hands over for longer than five seconds then your fire is too cool and you'll have to adjust the coals. Cooking tips Heat is the most important part of BBQing. To get direct heat, cook directly above the coals. This is good for franks, burgers and steaks. For fattier foods, use the drip pan in the middle of your fire. This may take longer, but the pan collects fat so there are no flare ups and the food will be done to perfection. When the food you cook takes longer than 15 minutes, you can cover the grill or tent food with tin foil to keep in heat. Foil is also used to wrap or cup vegetables so they don’t sear. Always set your cooker away from wind to keep heat up and ash off your food. Flavours A wide variety of sauces are now available almost anywhere and are usually a pretty good deal, but if you have the time for making a homemade sauce, the library has many recipe books with a billion recipes to choose from. I already mentioned usually covering vegetables, so here are some tips for cooking fish and meat. Fish for grilling is best when it is of the firm flesh type and it is sometimes a good idea to wrap it. Fish gets a bitter taste when cooked over hickory so at when the fish is almost done you may want to throw on some alder — dipped in water for that smoky flavor. For meats, smoking is a favorite way of grilling all over the world. You can buy packages of mesquite and hickory at any hardware store or you could even use something from your backyard. Almost anything can be used to smoke your food, just make sure that it isn’t a poisonous plant. . Always throw on the smoking material near the end of cooking. Chips of smoking wood should always be soaked in water before put on the coals. As a last note, be careful with hickory flare ups because the residue leaves a bitter taste on the meat. Care There’s not much to say here, it’s all common sense. Always clean the ashes out after each use (tin foil lining the bottom of the grill before you start helps this process) and although your cooker is for the outdoors it needs to be covered or at least kept in the garage. Well now you now the basics so I wish you many happy cook outs!