Archive for July, 2008
Construction crane collapse shows collapse in safety
What will it take to wake up Texas to its horrific problem with construction crane collapses? Texans like to think of their state as No. 1, but sometimes it’s No. 1 for the wrong reasons, and that’s too often the case with construction crane fatalities.
In 2005 and 2006, Texas led the nation in construction crane [...]
Like to bike? Saving gas may have high cost
Sky-high gas prices were bound to make one change in this “green” era of ecological emphases: Americans aren’t just recycling, but cycling.
That’s right, we’re locking up our gas-guzzlers and picking up bicycles as a means of transportation, and not just for recreation. Those $4.50 gallons of gas have fueled a new bike binge and a [...]
Tomatoes may be A-OK, per FDA
You say tomato, and I say forget about it? No way — not any longer — since the Food and Drug Administration has lifted its warning on tomatoes which sprang from America’s ongoing outbreak of salmonella Saintpaul.
Does that mean we’re home free, as far as the threat of bathroom runs spurred by this awful bacterium? [...]
Some tragedies are more than mere ‘accidents’
Again, tragedy has struck because a public place was unsafe. Two boys, ages 4 and 10, were killed Wednesday night at an apartment complex in southwest Houston when concrete sections of an outdoor stairwell collapsed on top of them. Another boy, age 9, was injured and is in a hospital, possibly with a broken leg.
Were [...]
Heparin remains a lethal threat
Again, the blood thinner heparin is in the news – and it’s not good news.
Fourteen babies in a Corpus Christi hospital recently received an accidental heparin overdose. Two of the babies – twins — have died. Several have been discharged, while the others are being closely monitored.
This tragedy recalls the highly publicized event last November [...]
Pit bull dog bites are no laughing matter
Pit bulls are no laughing matter. Unfortunately, some people think it’s funny to inflict pit bulls on others, and they don’t see why everyone shouldn’t find the same twisted humor in them.
Take comedian Andy Dick – please. He reportedly tried to check in at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas last weekend while accompanied [...]
No way? Way! Wrong way drivers cause traffic fatalities
You see it each day: You’re driving in a parking lot, in the same direction as other cars are parked and pointed, given the lanes and lines, and another driver enters from the other end going the wrong way.
Unless they’re piloting a unicycle, they can’t pull into a parking space, because they’re pointed in entirely [...]
Asleep at the wheel is no excuse for traffic fatality
Proper, safe driving is filled with many “don’ts,” and perhaps the most familiar is “Don’t drink and drive.” But here’s another “don’t” worth filing away in your cranium and heeding forevermore: “Don’t drive if you’re about to fall asleep,” because falling asleep at the wheel is no excuse for the nightmare of traffic tragedies.
A Houston [...]
