Tag Archive for danger

Packed planes? No safety rules?

Plan to travel by airplane anytime soon?  Why not, since the airlines are following federal guidelines to keep us safe from the coronavirus, right?  WRONG!!!  Read this, then go to Secretary Chao: Airline safety is your job and sign the petition to get enforced health and safety regulations that can help us fly safely:

Right now, air travel is a free-for-all when it comes to protecting against the spread of the coronavirus. Without enforceable health and safety rules, airlines are free to fill every seat and ignore social distancing guidelines; mask requirements vary from flight to flight; and airports don’t have to take steps to limit spread.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has the authority to set enforceable standards for airports, airlines and passengers during this health crisis, but she hasn’t. Tell her to require health and safety rules for air travel — airline safety is her job, not yours!

Read Before Using that Hand Sanitizer

Most of us are using hand sanitizer to protect ourselves and our loved ones from getting sick. Question is, are we using the right one (not just 60%, but the ingredients, too), using it at the right time and properly, and know its effectiveness and dangers? AARP put out a helpful article that answers these concerns. I’ll list their warnings and you should go to 7 Things to Know About Hand Sanitizer for details.

1.Hand sanitizer kills germs but doesn’t clean your hands.

2.Sanitizer trumps soap and water in certain situations.

3.Not all hand sanitizers are equal.

4.Sanitizing technique matters.

5.Cleaning products are not a substitute for hand sanitizer.

6.Hand sanitizer can be dangerous.

7.Hand sanitizer can be dangerous.

Filthy Fashion Scoreboard

Take a sensible approach to buying. Look at labels. Where were things made, and by whom? Are they making our Earth dirtier and in more danger? Check out this chart.

Those Juicy Emails

A group of women I get together with twice a month was talking about emails we all receive that are mean-spirited and often just plain false.  We agreed that they spread harmful misinformation and perpetuate distrust and animosity.  In other words, there’s nothing positive about them.

Why do people send them?  Some have an agenda–check out the rash of attacks currently against presidential candidates–while others just love passing on anything shocking or upsetting, true or not.   Some think they’ve discovered a brand-new fact that’s just been discovered, even though the message has been recycled again and again over ten years or even several decades.  Others think they’re protecting country or religion (think about the recurring email saying that In God We Trust is being removed from money when, in fact, the words have simply been moved).  Many people have good intentions but don’t stop to think and evaluate.  They unwittingly spread rancor and untruths and often never realize they’ve done so.

My group decided that this is a practice that’s harmful to all of us.  If nothing else, it wounds our souls.  In an already dysfunctional world, we need to fight such practices, not foster them.  It’s up to us to be more alert and conscientious.  Before sending a negative email on its insidious way, we should do a little fact checking.  The two easiest sites for this are www.snopes.com and www.truthorfiction.comThere are others, likewww.urbanmyths.com and ones dedicated to specific topics, like politics (search urban myths politics–or whatever other topic).  They aren’t any good, though, if people don’t use them BEFORE they hit the “send” key to forward an email.

Stop those emails, and send a note to the person who sent it to you (delete all the CCs), setting him straight and encouraging him to tell everyone else he sent the original email to.  This really is a small thing that everyone can do to work toward a more loving peaceful world.

Health Warning–Sunscreen Dangers

We wear sunscreen to protect our skin from the sun. Trouble is, much of the stuff is bad in itself. Some chemicals in it can irritate the skin or cause skin allergies, especially those with ingredients that let the sunscreen sink deeper into the skin so it stays on longer. And we can’t help but inhale some of the spray we put on (not good for the lungs). We know our bodies are taking in these chemicals because tests detect them in our urine, blood, and even breast milk.

The FDA is considering regulations to minimize sunscreen hazards. Eventually sunscreens will be safer. Meanwhile, why not consider alternatives? For example, Zinc oxide and titanium oxide stay on the skin’s surface and aren’t absorbed into the body. Or use an organic, non-toxic product made from natural ingredients. Of course, you can also wear a hat and protective clothing and stay in the shade. But the waves are sooooo inviting….

Whatever you do, be aware and avoid those harmful sunscreens. It’s a good practice for you AND keeps those harmful chemicals from polluting the Earth.

Avoiding Weird People

I did some people-watching on my shopping trip yesterday. What struck me was how often someone avoids eye contact or moves away from another person who doesn’t seem quite “normal.” I put myself in the avoider’s head, and this is what I came up with..

Who is that strange person?  The smiley one who moves and talks slowly while cleaning the tables at the hot dog place.  That scruffy-looking guy in the army fatigues asking for donations for veterans outside the grocery store.  That strange old man sitting in Starbuck’s who keeps trying to talk to me when I’m in a hurry to get my morning coffee.  The pregnant girl with all that black makeup—can she even be 15?  Who are all those weirdos around me? 

The answer is that they are people.  Each is a human person with a story, a life, and, as such, each deserves dignity. Try having an actual conversation with them. You may be surprised at how interesting they are.  Out in public like that, you’re certainly in no danger.  The only risk you’re taking is learning that these people who seem weird can also be wonderful.  In the process, you will have given them the dignity of being recognized as actual people.

Thanksgiving Danger for Pets

When you’re gobbling up turkey and all the goodies tomorrow and spot those sad, hungry-looking brown eyes under the table, it’s so tempting to give Fido or Fifi a bite. Before you do, though, remember that some foods can harm pets. This chart lists the common Thanksgiving Day no-nos that can cause choking, liver damage, and other ills. Give your faithful furry friend a little extra love instead.

Stop Dangerous Flare-Ups

You’ve seen them, either in person or on TV–bursts of smoke and flame from oil and gas stacks.  This process of “flaring” burns off wasted…wait for it…METHANE.  Yes, they put hazardous,  health-endangering methane into the air people breathe.

But doesn’t the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management oversee this to protect us?  Yes and no.  Soon possibly mainly no.  Because that Department has proposed weakening what protections currently exist.  Leaving the way open to more flaring, which means more methane into our air to poison it and increase the threat to life.

Read more about this and sign the petition to the Secretary of the Interior to urge him to oppose this proposal.

Goodall Identifies Danger

Jane Goodall gives us today’s Thursday Thought.  She has seen so much concern and apathy that I think she knows what she’s talking about.

Your Jeans Can Be Deadly

Here’s something to think about when you buy your next pair of jeans–and something you can do about it.

https://www.facebook.com/SumOfUsOrg/videos/1428099427276053/

 

Sign the petition at https://actions.sumofus.org/a/it-s-time-to-put-a-stop-the-the-denim-industry-s-dirty-secrets.  (Click “sign out” to delete my name and add your own.)