Tag Archive for safety

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!

The Work of May Day

Happy International Workers’ Day, although you probably know it as “May Day.”  It grew out of a movement in the late 19th century IN THE U.S.  Some people think it began in Cuba or the old Soviet Union or another communist country, but this is pure AMERICAN.  People united to gain basic workers’ rights, like cutting their work-day in half, from as much as 16 hours to 8, and instituting health and safety measures to counter the horrendous working conditions, thus preventing the large numbers of job-related injuries and deaths that were occurring. It was a hard-fought battle against the rich and powerful big companies, but American workers prevailed, earning themselves safer, healthier lives and the ability to spend time with their families without being sick or totally exhausted.  Today, then, we celebrate a great step forward for our country, honoring and protecting our workers.

For Our Kids–Arm Everyone

I’m all for having armed guards in every school.  In fact, they should be anywhere children gather.  That includes churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques; Scout meetings; children’s birthday parties (disguise the guard as a cowboy); family reunions (never know when there will be a drive-by shooting); the zoo and children’s discovery museum; even political events where politicians kiss babies.  And hire only babysitters who pack pistols. Nothing is too extreme to safeguard our children.

These should be trained guards, required to take a two-hour gun safety course.  Some may be volunteers (I’m sure the NRA will recruit willing volunteers from their membership).  But many will be professional peace officers, fire-fighters, and school principals.

Expensive?  Not really.  The  Kids Are Our Concern (CROC) program can easily be paid for by money saved by revamping our penal system.  First, execute all the roughly 725  people currently on Death Row–they’re taking up space and using too much court time and money on appeals.  Maybe a few will be executed for a crime they didn’t commit, but if they’re on Death Row they must have done something else terrible enough to be taken out of society permanently.  Then, within two weeks of having been sentenced to death, execute newly convicted felons.  Next, sentence to death anyone using a gun that causes, intentionally or unintentionally,  any kind of bodily harm (except to animals, of course).  Think of all the money we’d save on housing and feeding these monsters AND we’d free up space in our prisons–maybe close down a few, thus saving even more money.

And all that savings would be earmarked for the CROC program.

I urge you to write your members of Congress (once they climb up from the bottom of the cliff) and urge that they adopt the CROC program at once!

[To my shocked readers: Remember that irony is one of the tools I use to make my point.]

Elder Driving: Safety and Independence

Is there an older person in your life who should give up driving but hates to even think about it?  You can’t just sell their car or take away their keys, and blaming them for accidents or for driving too slowly only creates a rift between you.

AARP has a free online seminar that leads you through how to handle the situation.  It’s called We Need to Talk. Learn how to approach the subject in a natural, loving way, assess their driving skills, and discuss alternatives to driving themselves while maintaining their cherished independence.

This little course is a valuable tool. Take a look at it.

 

Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children

The average age of commercially sexually exploited children is 14. Juvenile victims of sexual exploitation face a life continually threatened by torture, rape, broken bones, fractures, and extreme psychological manipulation to such an extent that most victims develop symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome as a result of having been trafficked. According to the International Labor Organization, 4.5 million illegally trafficked individuals are forcibly sexually exploited, and 21% of those individuals are estimated to be less than 18 years of age.
Here’s a worthwhile idea for every state: [PA] Senate Bill No. 554, the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund, which proposes to provide special relief for juvenile victims of sexual exploitation in order to restore dignity, provide necessary services, ensure safety, and provide a safe harbor for sexually exploited children.
READ MORE AT

https://www.change.org/p/jay-costa-provide-legal-protection-for-sexually-exploited-children?recruiter=66587471&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_page&utm_term=190978

 

Sisters in Widowhood

I was prepared to feel sorry for myself.  This is my first U.N. International Widows’ Day.  I lost my husband last November.

Then I started enjoying the good memories of a 35+ year marriage.  And I realized how much luckier I am than many widows in the world.  I live in a free country, in safety, with enough resources to sustain me and then some, and a family–small, but here for me.

And I look at other parts of the world, where widows suffer immensely.  Their land taken from them.  Family members evicting them from the homes or even killing them. Shamed because their husbands are dead. Having to take their children out of school to work to support the family.

The U.N. is trying to solve these problems, but it will take a long time.

I’m deeply saddened by the plight of my sisters in widowhood.  I greatly miss my husband, but I am so grateful for my own life and for the fact that the U.N. is working toward better lives for my international sisters.

 

Making Safer Teen Drivers

Believe it or not, studies show that parents are the greatest influence over a teen’s driving habits, both before and after the kids receive their licences.  One tool many parents have used to keep their kids safe while driving is a contract.  The kids will call the idea dumb, but it works.  Possibly because kids function best when they know the rules and specific consequences.

If you have a teen driver now or coming up, sit down with him or her with a contract and talk about each provision.  (The talking itself is a  good deterrent to risky driving habits.)  Some are more simple than others.  Below are links to several you might take a look at.  Choose one that fits your family best.

Allstate — https://www.allstatefoundation.org/pdf/Parent-Teen-Agreement-MI.pdf

AAA — http://teendriving.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Parent.Teen_.Driving.Agreement.pdf

American Academy of Pediatrics —    https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/driving_contract-a.pdf

 

SAFETY FIRST!

We’re in the middle of feel-good Spring.  It’s the time when we have Spring-Cleaning Fever.  In the process, we notice repairs that need to be done and hazards that need to be un-hazarded.  But what about people who are incapable of doing those chores?  You probably know an elderly or infirm person who lives alone and doesn’t have aware family nearby.  Or a single mom with her hands full with work and children.  And you probably can spare a Saturday afternoon for a visit and safety check.

You can check locks on his windows, doors, and gates, tighten their screws, and make sure they work properly.  You can test her fire, smoke, break-in, and medical emergency systems and put in new batteries.  Or replace burned-out light bulbs (house, porch, outside security light) and frayed electrical cords.  Move those flammable items from around the water heater, furnace, gas range—anywhere there’s a flame.  Clean debris from the clothes dryer (from drum to where the air vents outdoors)—a big, often overlooked fire hazard.  I have more safety ideas if you need them.

Take your kids to help.  Not only will the recipient of your labor be safe,  but also your children will learn that we need keep others in mind and look out for each other.

 

Safety Tip

Here’s a safety tip for those of you who haven’t heard it yet.  It has to do with your GPS device that you keep in your car or is built into your car.  Many of us put “Home” in so we can find it quickly.  Don’t do it.  If you’re parked in a mall, for example, someone can break into your car, punch “home” into your GPS, and know where you live and that it’s a good  time to burglarize your house because you’re away shopping.

I have my dog’s name programmed into my GPS.

Be safe.

 

 

Better Wear Gloves While You Sleep, Parents

Add a foolproof safety device to a gadget and a six-year-old will find a way around it.  That’s what  happened to a mom in Little  Rock, AK.  While Bethany Howell slept, her little daughter used Mom’s thumb print to unlock the iPhone and buy $250 worth of Pokemon items.  Read more details.

There are three possible morals to this story: 1) Hide your iPhone while you sleep.  2) Never underestimate a child of any age.  3) Wear gloves while you sleep.