Daily Dose of Common Sense

Talk about tenacity. A South Korean woman has taken–and failed–the driver’s written exam around 950 times since April 2005. Well, she has finally achieved a high enough score to pass the written portion of the driver’s license test.

The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won ($4,200) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out of a possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test.

She still has to pass a road test in order to secure her driver’s license. Perhaps this is an indication that this woman should NOT be on the road? Look out, South Koreans!

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It may be three events, but that doesn’t mean it gets an unnecessary extra syllable. Many people pronounce this “tri-ath-a-lon.” However, there’s no extra “a” in there (as in “marathon”). It should just be pronounced as, “tri-ath-lon.”

You may not ever participate in one, but you should know how to pronounce it.

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There are tens of millions of workers in the U.S. who do not receive any paid sick leave. That means that about 40% of Americans either have to work while ill or take the hit to their paychecks. For people living paycheck-to-paycheck, this usually means sucking it up, taking some cold medication, and heading to work. And you know who’s catching what they have? Everyone else.

This is one reason that public officials are very worried about this flu season. Many of the workers in this category are waiters, child care employees, office temps, and cashiers. They’re handling your food, your kids, and your money. That means germs are spreading at the speed of light.

You can hardly blame John/Julie Q. Worker who doesn’t get sick leave. Yes, he/she should stay home but what if he/she fears being fired, or can’t afford to take the pay hit? And, you can hardly blame struggling Small Q. Business, who can’t afford to pay workers for not working. But, businesses should at least help sick workers make up the hours lost with additional hours later on.

So, shame on bigger companies like Wal-Mart (who can afford sick leave) for not treating this issue with the seriousness it deserves.

Workers at many retailers and restaurants say their employers’ policies discourage them from calling in sick. At Wal-Mart, when employees miss one or more days because of illness or other reasons, they generally get a demerit point. Once employees obtain four points over a six-month period, they begin receiving warnings that can lead to dismissal.

In addition, when Wal-Mart employees call in sick, their first day off is not a paid sick day (although workers can use a vacation day or personal day), but the second and third days are paid. The policy is meant to keep workers who are not actually sick from taking a day off to, say, go fishing.

Paul Hotchkiss, a support manager at a Wal-Mart store in Hastings, Minn., said the point system pressured him to report to work two weeks ago even though he had swine flu.

Forcing people to come to work sick only gets other workers sick. Offices are notorious germ factories, even outside of flu season.

A recent study found the average office desk contains 20,961 germs per square inch! The worst hot spots for germs? Phones, computer keyboards, and computer mice. If not cleaned regularly, they are a great breeding place for viruses that cause colds and flu.

Also, don’t forget about communal bathrooms, the office coffeepot, microwaves, and water coolers. Gossip isn’t the only thing being exchanged in these places. Germs are also traded on any commonly touched surfaces.

If you get sick leave, USE IT. If you don’t, lobby your bosses and companies for better sick policies. This flu season, we may need all the help we can get.

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This is a great bit by the Daily Show on the fear-mongering surrounding the H1N1 vaccine. So much misinformation and so little time. But, as usual, the DS and Jon Stewart nail it. Enjoy, and get vaccinated when you can!

[Via RationalMoms]

As I’m sure most parents have now heard, Southwest Airlines flight attendants kicked a cranky two-year old child off their plane last week. Mother and son were flying together from Amarillo, Texas to San Jose, California, and the toddler started shouting and crying before the plane took off.

Pamela Root’s 2-year-old son was screaming for the Southwest Airlines plane to “Go! Plane! Go!”

“I want Daddy!” Adam shouted. Over and over again.

Despite her embarrassment, the stay-at-home San Jose mom remained confident that once the plane took off and she fed him, Adam would calm down and take a nap–just as he had on the half-dozen other plane rides with Mom.

The flight crew wasn’t willing to find out.

The mother couldn’t give the kid a few small snacks to keep him quiet before takeoff? He’s hungry, in a strange space, and screaming, and she decides not to give him anything. Huh? I’m assuming they were not the only two passengers on the plane. Did the mother not care at all about anyone else around them? I’m not saying the airline should have kicked them off the flight, but come on, lady. When it was obvious her son wasn’t calming down, her common sense should have kicked in. Giving him something small may have distracted him and prevented the whole episode.

Seems like an unfortunate incident that could have been avoided with a few Cheerios.

Some people had common sense.

• Free Range Kids pointed out that kids are not in danger every time they wait in the car.
• Ricky Gervais will host the 2010 Golden Globes.There’s a very good chance it’ll be funny.
• Director Paul Haggis left the church of Scientology after 35 years in protest over its support of Prop 8.

And, some did not.

• Director Paul Haggis didn’t leave the church of Scientology for 35 years despite its wacky intergalactic overlord named Xenu.
• Fewer than half NYC parents are opting to get their elementary school child the swine flu vaccine. Come on, parents. Give your kids the vaccine.
• Two men in Iowa used a Sharpie marker to draw “masks” on their faces before attempting to rob a home. You’ve got to check out the photos.
• Turns out the Northwest Airline pilots who overshot their destination last week were using their personal laptops in the cockpit. We get sucked into Facebook too, but not while we’re FLYING.