Tag Archive for alcohol

Fireworks & Your Insurance

July 1, 2020 Comments Off on Fireworks & Your Insurance

Independence Day is this weekend. Traditionally, we celebrate the 4th of July by setting off fireworks in our yard or maybe in the middle of our court. Add a bit of alcohol to the participants, and carelessness can lead to injury and property damage. That’s why fireworks of all kinds, even the “Safe and Sane” variety, are banned in many places.

Here’s the thing. If they are banned, that means they’re illegal. If you set off illegal fireworks and they hurt someone or burn down your house, your homeowner’s insurance (or any insurance) will NOT cover you. You’ll be left to bear the financial burden totally yourself. (This, of course, is on top of the fine you’ll get.) If you burn down someone else’s house (or nearby business), their insurance company will pay to rebuild their home–then sue you to get their money back.

So, take this into consideration when those fireworks look so tempting. I hope you’ve learned what most of us have, that the idea that “it won’t happen to me” is totally untrue and a dangerous premise to base your actions on.

Please have a safe holiday without fireworks. My property and my dog will thank you.

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Teaching Charity

January 17, 2020 Comments Off on Teaching Charity

A fellow parishioner decided when her kids were very young that they needed to learn charity.  She taught them to give something to every person who asked.  Each time that they were approached by the disabled vet outside the drug store, the homeless man on the street, the uniformed woman from the food-providing agency, the Salvation Army man with the Christmas kettle—anyone asking for help or for their aid in helping others—they would give a little something.  I asked, “What if the person’s a fake or will spend the dollar on alcohol or drugs?”  Her answer was another question: “What if they really do spend it on food for themselves or their family?”  This woman was teaching her children an important fact.  That is, it’s our job to be charitable; it’s God’s job to decide who He sends our way and why.

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The Bacteria are Winning

August 3, 2018 Comments Off on The Bacteria are Winning

What good is that hand sanitizer we trust to keep germs away? Not as good as it used to be. It’s alcohol-based, and bacteria are adapting to alcohol. When sanitizers were put into use in hospitals, some infections decreased, but others (especially ones affecting the bladder, heart, and digestive tract–the enterococcal infections) actually increased.

Right now, increasing the amount of alcohol from the usual 60% in hand sanitizers to 70% helps, but bacteria are adjusting to the higher concentration, as well.  Read more about this at Some Bacteria Are Becoming ‘More Tolerant’ Of Hand Sanitizers, Study Finds.

And there are questions about how healthy such sanitizers are for humans.

The solution: Public health experts direct hospitals and us back to basics, which means frequent, adequate (20-30 seconds) washing of hands with plain soap that doesn’t contain anti-bacterial additives. Ignore the issue of hot vs. cold water, because they work the same, since your hands can’t stand water hot enough to kill bacteria.

Keep healthy, Friends!

 

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Another fight. I’ll drink to that!

October 6, 2014 Comments Off on Another fight. I’ll drink to that!

Sports are changing.  A baseball or football game used to be a family event.  Now not only is it too expensive for most families to go to the ballpark, it’s too dangerous. There are so many stories, like Bryan Stowe, beaten at a Giant’s game two years ago by rival fans.  In the last few days two more incidents have taken place.   At Levi Stadium two men attacked two others in the restroom not long before kick-off.  And at the Angels Stadium three people attacked a 43-year-old man and his cousin (an off-duty police officer, yet!) in the parking lot.

The news doesn’t answer my major question about all the attacks: how many of these incidents involved people who had been drinking?  With tailgating and free-flowing beer concessions–not to mention what is sneaked in–a good number of people at any game end up drinking enough to make them belligerent.  That mood is heightened by the heat of the sun, the roar of the crowd, and the emotional ups and downs each time a team scores.

Maybe it’s time to make games family-friendly and safe again.  Ban drinking at tailgate parties, and don’t sell alcohol in the stadium.  Does a fan really need to drink to enjoy the game?  Would fans’ behavior and language improve if they didn’t have alcohol-soaked brains?  Would–here’s a thought–fans therefore get more for their money, because they’ll actually see the game?  I imbibe a bit of the grain or grape from time to time, so I’m not suggesting another Prohibition…just a dose of common sense.

 

 

 

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