Daily Dose of Common Sense

There’s a problem in the Florida Everglades that has nothing to do with climate change or the depletion of habitat. The problem is from pet owners who buy snakes they don’t know anything about, and then dump the snakes out in the swamp when they get too difficult to handle. The animals are then free to disrupt the ecosystem.

Wildlife biologists say the troublesome invaders — dumped in the Everglades by pet owners who no longer want them — have become a pest and pose a significant threat to endangered species like the wood stork and Key Largo woodrat.

Two types of non-native pythons are taking over the Everglades: the Burmese python and the African rock python. These snakes proliferate quickly, laying 50 to 100 eggs at a time, and experts say there may be as many as 150,000 of them in the area. The pythons have no predators in their new environment, so they can pretty much run roughshod over the local wildlife.

Not to mention a Florida resident who owned a Burmese python, only to have it escape and strangle his girlfriend’s two-year old daughter one night in 2009. A tragedy that could have been avoided with a little common sense.

Obviously, you shouldn’t buy pets you don’t understand or know anything about. Unless you have a full-time experienced keeper on hand, it’s irresponsible to keep exotic pets. But, even WORSE is to dump the animal out in the wilderness once it’s no longer any fun. Especially when you don’t know what the repercussions might be to the environment. At least give the animal to a local zoo.

Are you more worried about looking good behind the wheel, or being able to see the road?

Most of us don’t think about how our sunglasses will affect our driving performance. But, we should. Scott Marshall is Director of Training for Young Drivers of Canada and has a blog all about driving safely. Recently, he discussed driving and the trend of large eyewear. Why would big, chunky, expensive sunglasses pose a problem?

The current problem is the framing of many of the glasses is thick enough that it blocks part of their vision. The driver has a difficult time seeing off to their side in their peripheral vision. Other drivers can sneak up beside them without the driver knowing. It also stops the driver from seeing clearly at intersections for pedestrians or cyclists. These stylish sunglasses narrow the driver’s view too much and make driving more difficult.

Makes sense, right? But, you don’t want to skip sunglasses altogether. They reduce glare and brightness, which can be a potential hazard to drivers.

According to insurance statistics there are 18,000 car accidents in this country every day with as many as 6,000 of those accidents directly attributable to over- brightness and glare. Drivers are particularly vulnerable to the hazard of blinding glare.

Polarized sunglasses are best for reducing glare and brightness; so, in addition to the correct frames, also make sure you buy the right kind of glass.

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This story lacks common sense in so many areas that it’s hard to know where to begin.

A Connecticut mother left her two small kids in the car while she ran an errand. Big deal, right? Well, what if I told you it was in freezing conditions and the car was off? Bad. Really bad. Has this woman never heard of frostbite or hypothermia?

We can assume she left her 3-year old and a 1-year old to freeze their buns off in the car while going on a SUPER, IMPORTANT errand. Perhaps picking something up at the store, dropping of a letter at the Post Office, paying a bill, or maybe bringing peace to the Middle East.

Nope. She had to go sit in a tanning bed. Yep, getting a fake tan was that important.

Guess she hasn’t heard of skin cancer either.

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As Halloween approaches, it’s time for some old urban legends to be dusted off and circulated. First stop: Bobtown, Pennsylvania where the kids won’t be allowed to go door-to-door looking for treats. The scrooges in the small community have cancelled trick or treating. Community leaders say the radical step is being taken to keep kids “safe.” Safe from what, exactly? We’re not sure.

With a party at the fire hall, he says both the kids and the candy they receive would be safe.

Huh?

As Lenore Skenazy pointed out in her book “Free-Range Kids”:

Was there ever really a rash of candy killings? Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, took it upon himself to find out. He studied crime reports from Halloween dating back as far as 1958, and guess exactly how many kids he found poisoned by a stranger’s candy?

A hundred and five? A dozen? Well, one, at least?

“The bottom line is that I cannot find any evidence that any child has ever been killed or seriously hurt by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating,” says the professor. The fear is completely unfounded.

Give kids their costumes and candy. They are in more danger of being hit by a car than poisoned treats. So, keep them safe by following some simple common sense rules, like:

• Always accompany young children and, if they’re too old to have an uncool parent tag along, be certain they travel in groups that are as large as practical. Be certain they know not to accept rides from, or go inside the homes of, strangers.
• Get your kids to agree to a move along a pre-planned route and stay in the neighborhood. It’s best to know generally where they are and to set a time at which they must return home to prevent unnecessary risk or worry.
• Be sure the costumes have reflective surfaces and have your kids carry flashlights and glo-sticks. Caution the trick-or-treaters to stick to the sidewalks and be very aware of moving vehicles and only cross at designated crossing areas and traffic lights. Spirits may be running high (in more ways than one), and nighttime driving can also affect the vision of the soberest driver.

The most you have to worry about from Halloween candy is a high dentist bill.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: YAXZONE

Here are some absurd product warnings and instructions.

Liquid Plummer
Warning: Do not reuse the bottle to store beverages.

Bowl Fresh
Safe to use around pets and children, although it is not recommended that either be permitted to drink from toilet.

Toilet Plunger
Caution: Do not use near power lines.

Dremel Electric Rotary Tool
This product not intended for use as a dental drill.

Endust Duster
This product is not defined as flammable by the Consumer Products Safety Commision Regulations. However, this product can be ignited under certain circumstances.

Little Ones Baby Lotion
Keep away from children.

Hair Coloring
Do not use as an ice cream topping.

Mattress
Warning: Do not attempt to swallow.

Most pedestrians jaywalk at one time or another. For those who don’t know, jaywalking is defined as, “to cross a street at a place other than a regular crossing or in a heedless manner, as diagonally or against a traffic light.” I’m a fan of jaywalking if it helps you get where you need to go a little bit faster. However, if you’re jaywalking, you should know to move your ass if cars are approaching.

I’ve seen it time and time again: lollygagging jaywalkers. Some pedestrians appear to think that traffic should stop for them, even though they are in the middle of the street. I don’t know whether that attitude stems from selfishness, naiveté, ignorance, or what. But, it’s very unwise to play chicken with something much larger and heavier.

I want to have a sign that says, “You’re the one breaking the law and a 4,000 pound metal machine is speeding towards you. Can you get a MOVE ON?!”

Photo courtesy of Flickr: Adrian Miles

Dating can be rough. It’s hard to meet people and put yourself out there without feeling a small amount of stress. Some might wonder if potential partners are on the up and up. Is she a gold-digger? Is he really a brain surgeon? Well, there’s an iPhone App for that. A product called DateCheck is now available to act as your private detective.

Only, aren’t we getting a little paranoid? Not to mention invading someone’s privacy? Here is some information from DateCheck’s site:

Simply enter a name, phone number or email address and instantly get accurate and comprehensive results. With features like Sleaze Detector, Compatibility, Net Worth, Interests and Living Situation you can be in the know on the go. “Look up before you hook up.”

Net worth? Oh, that’s a nice way to eliminate someone great because of a superficial judgement about their finances. Living situation? How about “none of your business?” The “Sleaze Detector” will find out if the person has any criminal convictions, felonies, or misdemeanors. While this may be more desirable information, it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to attach so much weight to it. Just because someone has a felony in their past doesn’t mean he/she is bad, and the opposite is true as well. If they don’t show up as a criminal, you can’t bet they are squeaky clean. Remember, Ted Bundy didn’t have any arrests under his belt.

What’s really scary about this process is the way you submit information on the person you’re investigating. You give the application a name, phone number, or email address. Wow. That’s a far cry from the old days of meeting with the detective agency and providing a photograph. This seems to scream “misidentification” to me. Also, you know folks won’t be using this to just look up before they hook up. Most people will use this on about everyone they know. At what point does our personal information become off limits?

Relax, folks. Go with the personality of the other person and your gut. Both are usually right.

[Via WalletPop]

In Washington, a group of mental patients were taken to a county fair for fun. One particular patient, a man convicted of killing an elderly woman years before, escaped during the trip.

He didn’t have to work too hard to get free. While on the outing, the patients aren’t restrained or wearing any special clothing. They can all wear street clothes and don’t even have to stay together. The staff try to keep all of them in eyesight the entire time.

How would that even be possible? The news reports said there were thirty-one patients and only eleven staff members. If the patients don’t have to stick together, it would be easy for one (or more) to sneak off. How about lowering the patient-to-security ratio in order to give more attention to the task at hand?

Photo courtesy of Flickr: Sister72

Jaws is probably my all-time favorite movie. I watch it every time it’s on and know most of the dialogue by heart. Seeing this movie at a young age did make me scared of the ocean, and I’m still trying to work through that irrational fear. That’s why I love Discovery Channel’s annual SHARK WEEK, which starts this Sunday, August 2nd. Not only do they cover the blood and gore we associate with sharks, they also discuss the real risks of attack and well as the pressing need to help save sharks.

First, your odds of being attacked by a shark are ridiculously low. In 2000, here were the risk of attack in the United States:

Drowning and other beach-related fatalities: 1 in 2 million
Drowning fatalities: 1 in 3.5 million
Shark attacks: 1 in 11.5 million
Shark attack fatalities: 0 in 264.1 million

In the U.S., you are 30 times more likely to be killed by a strike of lightning than a shark. Granted, being eaten by a shark would be much, much worse than a bolt of lightning. But, you have to go with the statistics. Many more people die each year in cars driving to the beach than by a shark in the water.

Second, we are a far greater risk to sharks than sharks are to people. Each year, over 100 MILLION sharks are killed globally. During the past 15 years, the shark population has been depleted by 80%. Sharks grow and reproduce slowly, and this means that the shark population is in real trouble.

So, watch Shark Week to gawk at the gore, but also watch to learn and marvel. Sharks are amazing animals, and they need our help.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: StormyDog

Last week, a New York woman was charged with drunk driving while transporting home five kids after attending a festival. At 12:30 in the morning, she was pulled over for a broken headlight. But, the officer smelled booze and a sobriety test was performed (and failed).

The woman’s excuse? According to the news report:

“My husband was 10 times drunker than I was. I had two kids left with me that weren’t even mine that I had no intention of driving home in the first place. It was either let my husband drive and kill everybody or leave those two kids abandoned,” she said.

Hmmmm. First, how about coming up with a plan for someone in your group to be responsible and stay sober throughout the night? It seems like a simple, adult conversation to have, especially when you have kids along. “Are you going to drink tonight? OK, then I won’t.” If the advance planning is too difficult for you, how about asking someone else for a ride home? Or, calling a cab?

If I were the parent of one of the two non-family kids involved, I would be furious at this woman. There is a point where safety trumps carpooling duties. I would rather my kid be abandoned than driven home by someone who had been drinking. At least then, s/he could use a phone to call me.

It’s mind-boggling: After all the awareness through ad campaigns, public service announcements, pamphlets, and news reports, some people still get behind the wheel after drinking. What more can be done to convince people it’s a really, really bad idea?