There are some simple ways to spot hokey businesses though a quick check. Hokey in this case can mean phony and obviously contrived. I have lived in the United States for almost all of my life and I have been a client of, and worked for a variety of businesses some hokey but most were legitimate.
Yes, I worked for a short period of time at businesses that in the end I did not believe “helped people” which is what I will base this post on. I will also assume that people can work for any business they choose and people are not trapped in working at jobs that offer little or no purpose.
Here is a short list of easy ways to spot a Hokey Business:
- Forces you to sign up and pay for membership/service well before the service should start. A company may require payment in advance if they do not have an accounting or billing department but the service should have an exact time line and start right after payment.
- Asks for investment money or interest with out a complete written contract and full disclosure about exactly what will happen with your money with how & when you will be paid. Real investors know each other well over many years and have a strong relationship. If you don’t have this, it’s time for a formal contract that a professional should look over.
- Has anything to do with a pyramid structure or marketing schemes including friends buying from friends. Oil, home products, magazines, and other types of industries are well known to try this so be warned. It does not work. The pay outs are always a fraction of your investment and time in the end and I suggest investing in yourself instead.
- Asks you to do business out-of-state but does not have a current, exposed, and resourceful website. If you have a business, you have a informative helpful website. Only poor fly-by-night companies or hokey businesses are missing web exposure now.
- Any public representative of a business that will not send you their information (even over the phone) including first and last name with title at the business is a “hokey business.” Collection companies that work under false names and some low quality banks have done this.
- Any business that does not offer easy to access contact information like a phone number or email that someone will answer with in 24 hours is hokey. Every business should have basic customer service.
- Can not tell you how much a service or product will cost until it is complete or shipped makes a business hokey. Businesses should know how much their services or products cost before they sell them.
- If any business changes the name or has different names for the same business it is hokey. Many business try to hide behind new names or just push marketing materials by changing the name.
There are many other ways to spot a hokey business and I will be sure to post more at this site. Also, please leave your comments if you have seen any common characteristics of “hokey business.” Try a *review search* for a hokey business, phone number, and contact information on Google and other search engines. See what other people have to say. Any business that has clients will have at least some reviews that are posted online.
This tap water test taken at one of the UCLA Medical Centers in Westwood Village and shows the TDS of 199 ppm and 72.6° Fahrenheit.
The TDS of this water is considerably lower than many other parts of Los Angeles that have been tested. Some of highest TDS areas that have been tested are near the 405 freeway and very close (with in a block) of the ocean including Long Beach, Santa Monica, Venice, and Marina del Rey (400+ TDS).
This test was taken before March in 2010.
I am not a professional water quality tester and I can not say weather or not water is safe to drink. I do hope this information helps.
Westwood Village Medical Center Water TDS in PPM
The pH of water is 7. The EPA suggests secondary maximum contaminant levels of pH be at least between 6.5 – 8.5
The test done at a similar time shows a pH of 7.55 which again is better than many other areas of Los Angeles that have recently been tested. West Los Angeles can be as high as 8.65 or greater from tap water.
EPA physical test:
low pH: bitter metallic taste; corrosion
high pH: slippery feel; soda taste; deposits
Westwood Village UCLA Water pH
Electrical conductivity (EC) estimates the amount of total dissolved salts. Most information that I have seen shows that high quality water is under 500 σ. I have personally seen better ECs in water from mountain rain puddles in Topanga with ECs below 200 but most of the water tested in LA has been over 400 σ. The EC at this UCLA medical center shows 398 σ. This test was also conducted at the same time from the same tap water at a UCLA medical center.
Westwood Village water EC Temp UCLA medical
Would I drink this water?
Yes, but only if I needed to to stay hydrated and there was no filtration available because of the higher EC and TDS. I would much rather drink water that has been treated with distillation, RO, or another method that will lower the salt / nitrates / viruses / metals, and other hard unknown materials.
The EPA suggests these 2nd maximum levels here:
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/consumer/2ndstandards.html
Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels
| Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) | 500 mg/L | hardness; deposits; colored water; staining; salty taste |
Iron water testing does not seem to be very important when determining the how healthy water is to drink in most water systems based upon the information from the CDC and EPA. The EPA offers National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations (NSDWRs or secondary standards) and states that Iron should be below 0.3 mg/L.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html
Iron Health Concerns
It has also been mentioned that people with heterozygous for a hemochromatosis mutation (body not able to absorb Iron like others) may need to stay away from water containing Iron. For most people it may just have an unpleasant metallic taste, rusty color, and may be an indication that your pipes are deteriorating. You also may have high iron from a private well.
I have consistently read that everyone including pregnant women and children need iron in reasonable levels but this is normally found in breast milk, prenatal vitamins, and other typical foods.
Removing Iron
If you have too much iron and want it removed from your drinking water reverse osmosis may be one of the most cost effective ways. Water softeners have also been mentioned as a way of removing iron but I have not been able to test this to date.
Iron Water Test
I have completed an Iron water test in Los Angeles California that shows very low levels of Iron in the tap water. The test only takes a few minutes and then will show a reading. As seen in this photo below the Iron level is well below 0.3 ppm.
Iron Water Test Los Angeles
Would I Drink This Water?
Yes, I would drink this water because I have also done many other tests on it and the iron level is well below the EPA secondary standard. I also believe that my body can process Iron and it appears that low levels of Iron in drinking water should not cause a health concern. I am not a water professional and I can not say if it is safe or unsafe for sure but I would suggest putting this water through a reverse osmosis machine so that it smells, tastes, and looks better!
Iron
Symbol: Fe
Latin: ferrum
Atomic Number: 26
