During the first weekend at our local public pool this year, one of the lifeguards at the mid-sized kid pool was nodding off in her chair. I pointed it out to a friend, which alerted the other lifeguard on duty. He came over and told the too-tired-teen guard to leave. “If you can’t stay awake, you can’t be here,” he told her. An undercover report by CBS showed there are other lifeguards out there without an eye on the water. Some guards were texting and reading magazines instead of watching the swimmers.
On average, 10 people die a day from unintentional drowning. But, drowning generally doesn’t happen like it does in the movies, where swimmers splash and scream for help. Swimmers in serious trouble slip under the water silently.
Mario Vittone, a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, wrote a sobering article on what drowning really looks like:
There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) — of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC).
Think your child is an expert swimmer and couldn’t ever get in to trouble? Watch this report from NBC and you might change your mind:
Mr. Vittone has these words of advice if you suspect a swimmer is in trouble:
Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them: “Are you alright?” If they can answer at all – they probably are. If they return a blank stare – you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents: children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.
So keep your eye on your kids this summer when they are around water. There’s no substitute for vigilant parental supervision.
[Via MomLogic, and thanks to David S. for the link!]
You’re sitting at a red light, waiting for it to turn green. The split second that the light changes, someone behind you honks–as if you were holding up a long line of cars by not flooring it. Only, you weren’t. Are these the most impatient, annoying drivers in the world?
I don’t honk capriciously. I use the horn in extreme situations–such as danger or when another driver isn’t paying attention to the road. I don’t use it to hurry everyone else along at changing lights. Driver’s Ed Guru has written a guide to Horn Honking Etiquette. They say to wait at least four seconds after the light changes before you tap your horn lightly to alert another motorist to get a move on.
Calm down, you overzealous honkers. We’re all moving just as fast as we can. You’re not busier than everyone else, so be nice to your fellow motorists.
If you think your kids don’t learn anything positive from TV, then these two stories may change your mind. Two young children recently saved the lives of others by using moves they learned on SpongeBob Squarepants.
First, a 12-year old girl performed the Heimlich maneuver on a choking friend. SpongeBob performs this move on Squidward when the squid chokes on his clarinet. Next, an 8-year old boy saved a younger boy from drowning this past April. The boy had seen Larry the Lobster save SpongeBob with a similar move on the show.
Not too shabby for a sponge.
So, your kids are learning from TV, whether you like it or not, and not all the lessons are bad.
A woman is suing Google after being struck by a car on a busy highway. Why is this Google’s fault? Because she was following the Google Maps walking directions at the time. In the lawsuit, she claims Google provided her,
walking directions that led her out onto Deer valley Drive, a.k.a. State Route 224, a rural highway wit no sidewalks, and a roadway that exhibits motor vehicles traveling at high speeds, that is not reasonably safe for pedestrians.
This woman apparently left her common sense at home when she departed. Concentrating on her Blackberry, she forgot how to LOOK UP and notice her surroundings.
Google warns in their walking directions, “Walking directions are in beta. Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.” This may, however, have been missing on the Blackberry edition of Google Maps. Even still, if Google told you to jump off a cliff, would you?
We love Yahoo’s Odd News here in our house. I think this next collection of AP headlines from today is possibly the greatest group ever to pop up. Here they are, in the original sequence:
Cracked has a great post on eight adults who got a little too carried away at youth sporting events. And, by a little too carried away, we mean went completely NUTS.
The Texas cheerleader mom is there, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For instance, there’s the dad who fashioned his son’s football helmet into a secret slashing device. FIVE players suffered lacerations before the refs caught wise and started checking equipment. And, let’s not overlook the dad who used ipecac to poison his son’s nemesis, only to have it affect the entire team. Crazy, but not nearly as nutty as the volleyball coach who grabbed a cleaver out of her car to threaten everyone with. (Why, exactly, did she have a cleaver in her car?)
What is it about kids playing sports that causes some adults to become unhinged? Some parents think that their child should never lose. Ever. Even if it means spending a little time in the pokey. Whatever happened to the fun being in the game itself, regardless of the outcome? I hate that “everyone is a winner” mentality. Isn’t it better for them to learn that sometimes you lose? Life isn’t fair. Get used to it now, kids.
It is estimated that 30 million Americans visit tanning salons each year to get brown without the sun. Just how unwise is this? A new study has found that using tanning beds can quadruple your chance of skin cancer. Regardless of your age, the risk of cancer goes up with the frequency at which you indoor tan.
People, really? 30 million folks in this country haven’t heard the news yet? Even before this study, the information on tanning beds and skin cancer was in the news for years. If you’re this out of the loop, I’m sure a few juries could use you.
The FDA is recommending that children under eighteen be barred from using tanning beds unless they have parental consent. Yeah, give kids yet another reason to get a fake I.D. Instead, why not make each person who wants to use a tanning bed watch this slideshow beforehand?
Debit cards are increasingly popular, and for good reason. It’s the convenience of plastic without the temptation to spend money you don’t really have.
But should you sign or enter your PIN? Although I’m a technologist, I’ll be the first to admit it’s just as much, if not more, of a business issue.
Thankfully both types of concerns land on the side of, in my opinion, only using your PIN when you withdraw cash from an ATM (and make sure it’s a legit ATM at that!).
On the business side, most card issuers offer better fraud protection if you sign for a debit purchase than if you use your PIN. This is at least partly due to the fact that when you sign, the transaction gets processed by the MasterCard or VISA networks, and at minimum you get the fraud protection offered by them. You should check with your card issuer to get the details.
The credit card networks used when you sign also offer better fraud detection, as they can analyze the data from many card issuers.
On the technology side, it’s a question of the risk to your PIN and the impact if it gets compromised. ATMs, especially the major brands like NCR and Diebold used by the big banks, are built with security in mind. The keypad module has built-in encryption and its tamper-proof, for instance.
Other equipment where you use your card and enter your PIN is unlikely to be as secure. Even if it is, a clever person can skim your card in the blink of an eye and have a surreptitious camera recording your PIN.
Once they have your PIN in addition to your card #, they can create a fake card and then carry out the less consumer-protected PIN transactions instead of just being limited to signature transactions if they didn’t have your PIN.
Depending on your bank and what other info they have, they might even be able to access your account(s) through your bank’s web site because they have your PIN as well.
If all that isn’t enough to convince you, consider this: more and more, banks are enrolling their debit card customers in rewards programs similar to the ones offered for credit cards, but you only get rewards for signature transactions.
More protection and free stuff. Sounds like a winning combination to me.
Again this past weekend, someone died in the New York City subway because he had jumped down onto the tracks to retrieve something. What precious item had fallen? A jacket. Yes, a man lost his life trying to save a jacket. (What’s really sad is that he was just a good samaritan trying to help the woman who dropped the jacket. She lived.)
People, if you drop something on the subway tracks, let it go. No iPhone, Blackberry, music player, piece of clothing, or shoe is worth losing your life over. If you need it back, go find a station agent or transit employee for assistance. (I know there have been cutbacks, but they still do exist.) This man was the third New Yorker in the span of six months to die from jumping down on the tracks to get something.
The trains move fast and anyone who thinks they can move faster is delusional. Also, there is no easy way to climb out. There aren’t rungs to hold onto and the platforms can be quite high up.
“It’s just not worth taking the risk,” said Paul Fleuranges, a spokesman for New York City Transit. “In one instant the coast looks clear, and you think you can hop down, retrieve your item and hop back up. In reality, it’s not that simple.”
About 90 people are hit by subway trains each year, and about half the time it is fatal. But officials could not say how many cases involved an attempt to retrieve something.
Huffington Post has a great slideshow of the most frivolous lawsuits of all time. The stupidity is mind-numbing, and makes you wonder about humanity in general. The woman who sued McDonald’s for hot coffee is there, but there are plenty more where that came from. Like the woman who sued a haunted house because it was scary. Ummm….duh. Didn’t anyone on this list have a person who could talk some sense in him or her?
Daily Dose of Common Sense cuts through the crap, hype, and pseudoscience to tell it like it is. Part science, part news, and part, er, common sense, this site may be harsh sometimes but it's just tough love.
During the first weekend at our local public pool this year, one of the lifeguards at the mid-sized kid pool was nodding off in her chair. I pointed it out to a friend, which alerted the other lifeguard on duty. He came over and told the too-tired-teen guard to leave. “If you can’t stay awake, you can’t be here,” he told her. An undercover report by CBS showed there are other lifeguards out there without an eye on the water. Some guards were texting and reading magazines instead of watching the swimmers.
I hate preemptive honkers. 
If you think your kids don’t learn anything positive from TV, then these two stories may change your mind. Two young children recently saved the lives of others by using moves they learned on SpongeBob Squarepants. 
A woman is 
Cracked has 
It is estimated that 30 million Americans visit tanning salons each year to get brown without the sun. Just how unwise is this? A 
Debit cards are increasingly popular, and for good reason. It’s the convenience of plastic without the temptation to spend money you don’t really have.
Again this past weekend, 
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