At Bluesky, author/historian James Fallows presents the front page of his local newspaper on January 5, 2024.
Oy.
Convince me the gun lobby is not trying to make us all targets for gun violence.
https://bsky.app/profile/jfallows.bsky.social/post/3kiakrii7zg2m
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children, Guns, Politics, Violence | Tagged: children, Gun Safety, James Fallows, Legislation, Politics | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
A Nextdoor member complained that autos kill people, so we should ban some autos, just like calls to ban some guns. ‘It would be fair, no?’
I responded: Auto deaths are down from past years, and are much lower than the rate 30 years ago. Consider some of the rational safety steps taken to cut auto deaths, and ask whether they would not be applicable to guns, to reduce deaths.
1. A license is required to operate a vehicle, whether one owns the vehicle or not. Proficiency in vehicle operation must be demonstrated in a written test and driving test done by the state.
2. A license is required for the vehicle. In Texas, licenses must be renewed annually. Vehicles must undergo inspections for safety, and to be sure they meet air quality standards on emissions.
3. Drivers and owners are required to carry liability insurance, to pay for medical costs and property damage, or deaths, in the event the vehicle causes damage or injury.
4. There are numerous safety devices in vehicles; brakes must be maintained, by law; tires must be kept in good working order. Seatbelts are required for drivers and all passengers. Airbags are now required on almost all vehicles, passive injury-prevention devices. Bodies of cars and trucks must be built to preserve cab integrity and reduce injury in event of collision.
5. There are many safety warning devices. Vehicles must have working headlights and taillights, turn signals, emergency signals, running lights and horns. Law requires drivers to signal their intentions to other surrounding vehicles and pedestrians.
6. In almost all cases, vehicles must give way to pedestrians.
There are not exact analogs to all those safety devices and procedures in guns, but many would improve gun safety considerably.
There are about half as many vehicles as guns in the U.S. (educated guess); most of them get used every day. Most Americans ride in a vehicle every day.
Let us say there are 150 million vehicles driven 300 times a year. That’s 45 billion uses (mileage is not calculated). Of those 45 billion uses, 40,000 lives are lost every year. One death for every 1,125,000 uses.
300 million guns (again, educated guess; it’s a bit more than that); most guns get used how often? Once a year? Twice a year?
600 million uses, and 45,000 deaths, with guns. That’s one death for every 13,333 uses. Gun deaths are about 8 times more frequent than auto deaths, per use.
Obviously, guns are [at least] 8 times as dangerous as cars. Let’s consider that, too.
How can we bring gun deaths down?
While you’re at it, how can we bring auto deaths down?
Some time after I posted my response on May 10, 2023, the original poster took his post down. BESMART has good policies for gun safety in America. Maybe check out their suggestions, and support their work, at BeSmartforkids.org.
2 Comments | children, Guns, History, Safety, Second Amendment | Tagged: BeSMART, children, Gun Safety, Safety, Second Amendment | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
How does the 2016 GOP campaign shape our children? Trees misshapen by constant wind or cold are known as krummholz in German. A reminder of the old saw that, as a twig is bent, so the tree grows. This is a Banner tree, in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, bent by prevailing winds from the west. Photo by John Spooner – flickr.com, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5007578
What examples do our children take from our quadrennial elections? What lessons have they learned in 2016?
Do our kids adopt these attitudes into their daily lives?
What do your kids’ teachers say they see? What do you see?
7 Comments | 2016 Elections, Advertising, Campaigns, children, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton | Tagged: advertising, Campaign 2016, children, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Business Insider captioned this, “This photo is everything.” White House photo (probably by Pete Souza)
For President Barack Obama’s 55th birthday on August 4, 2016, Yahoo! News put together a compilation of photos of the President and kids.
Kids love President Obama. They get it.
Enjoy, and share.
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3 Comments | children, President Obama | Tagged: children, President Barack Obama | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
In 1961 a little girl named Michelle wrote to President John F. Kennedy, expressing her fears that in a nuclear exchange, the Russians might bomb the North Pole, and Santa Claus might be lost.
President Kennedy’s response was human, and fatherly.
We should work to spread that spirit this season, and all seasons.
Tip of the old scrub brush, with pine-scented bubbles for the season, to the John F. Kennedy Library.
Leave a Comment » | children, History, Holidays, John F. Kennedy, Nuclear weapons | Tagged: children, History, John F. Kennedy, MAD, Nuclear weapons, Santa Claus | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Found on Twitter:
Deep thoughts on Twitter, about children, childhood, recess and play. https://twitter.com/IntThings/status/464766923201576960
Leave a Comment » | children, Education, Humor, Outdoor Recreation, Teaching Resources, Technology | Tagged: children, Education, Humor, Outdoor Recreation, Technology, truth | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
From Twitter: “Another e.g. pic to show that school transport in Asia needs attention on health & safety aspects pic.twitter.com/Mn2FbSSELX”
Do you think the students have wi-fi to finish their homework on the way to school?
(This is not necessarily representative of all Indian school buses.)
One wonders at the stories behind such “buses” and their use. It might make an interesting geography assignment, to find out how students get to school in other nations. What is the most exotic, bizarre, dangerous or luxurious ride?
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7 Comments | children, Education, India, Safety, Transportation, Travel | Tagged: Bal Mandir, children, Education, India, Safety, School Bus, Transportation, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Maurice Sendak, to his death, held on to some of his childhood concerns; and he worried about how we teach our children to deal with the world, and those scary things.
From Blank on Blank, PBS Digital Studios.
How do kids make it? “They want to survive,” Sendak said. “They Want To Survive.”
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Posted by Ed Darrell
This week is National Infant Immunization Week designated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Vaccinations worked miracles in extending human lifespans, and in making childhood much safer from disease, for those children who get vaccinated.
Information following comes directly from the CDC:
Protect Your Baby with Immunization
Immunization is one of the best ways parents can protect their infants from 14 serious childhood diseases before age two. Check to see if your baby is up to date on immunizations.
It is important for children to be fully immunized. Diseases that can be prevented with vaccines can be very serious – even deadly – especially for infants and young children. For example, children younger than 2 years old are at the highest risk for serious pneumococcal disease like pneumonia, blood infection (sepsis), and meningitis. Before the pneumococcal vaccine was used routinely, an estimated 17,000 cases of severe types of pneumococcal infection, like meningitis, occurred each year.
Immunization. Power to Protect.
Immunizations have helped to greatly improve the health of children in the United States. Most parents today have never seen first-hand the devastating consequences that vaccine-preventable diseases have on a family or community. While most of these diseases are not common in the United States, they persist around the world. It is important that we continue to protect our children with vaccines because outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases can and do occasionally occur in this country.
For example, in 2010, there were 27,550 people reported to have “whooping cough” (pertussis) in the United States. Twenty-seven deaths were reported – 25 of these were in children younger than 1 year old. In 2011, 222 people were reported to have measles in the United States – that’s more than any year since 1996. Measles is brought into the United States by unvaccinated U.S. residents and foreign visitors who get infected when they are in other countries. Measles is still common in many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. In fact, in France alone, more than 15,000 people were reported to have measles in 2011. Measles spreads easily, and it can be serious, causing hospitalization and even death. Young children are at highest risk for serious complications from measles.
Vaccinating your baby according to the recommended immunization schedule gives him or her the best protection against 14 serious childhood illnesses – like measles and whooping cough – before he is two years old. The recommended schedule is designed to protect infants and children early in life, when they are most vulnerable and before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.
Visit CDC’s vaccine website for parents.
The Diseases Vaccines Prevent
The recommended immunization schedule for babies includes vaccination protection against all of the following diseases:
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Diphtheria
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Influenza
- Measles
- Mumps
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Pneumococcal disease
- Polio
- Rubella (German measles)
- Tetanus (lockjaw)
- Rotavirus
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Vaccinate On Time, Every Time
Even though the United States experiences outbreaks of some vaccine-preventable diseases, the spread of disease usually slows or stops because of immunization. If we stopped vaccinating, even the few cases we have in this country could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases. Fortunately, most parents choose to vaccinate their children and immunization rates in this country are at or near record high levels. In fact, less than 1% of children do not receive any vaccines. However, some children have not received all of their vaccines and therefore are not fully immunized. It’s important that children receive all doses of the vaccines according to the recommended immunization schedule. Not receiving all doses of a vaccine leaves a child vulnerable to catching serious diseases.
That’s why it’s important to make sure that your child is up to date on his or her immunizations. Call your pediatrician to find out if your child is due for any vaccinations. Or, you can use this online tool to enter your child’s current record and quickly see if any doses have been skipped or missed. It is important to your child’s health to be up to date on immunizations.
Paying for Immunization
Most health insurance plans cover the cost of vaccinations, but you should check with your insurance provider before going to the doctor. If you don’t have health insurance, or if your insurance does not cover vaccinations, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program may be able to help with the cost.
The VFC program helps families of eligible children who might not otherwise have access to immunization. The program provides vaccinations at no cost. Children younger than 19 years of age are eligible for VFC vaccines if they are:
- Medicaid-eligible
- Uninsured
- American Indian or Alaska Native,
- Underinsured and vaccinated in Federally Qualified Health Centers or Rural Health Clinics.
Parents of uninsured or underinsured children who receive vaccines at no cost through the VFC Program should check with their health care providers about possible administration fees that might apply. These fees help providers cover the costs of giving the vaccines, including storing the vaccines and paying staff members to give vaccines to patients. However, VFC vaccines cannot be denied to an eligible child if a family can’t afford the fee.
Have Questions about Immunization?
- Talk with your child’s health care professional, contact your local or state health department, or call the CDC at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
- Visit CDC’s vaccine website for parents
More Information
- Parents’ Guide to Childhood Immunizations
- Immunization Schedule Tools
- Infant Immunizations FAQs
- Diseases & the Vaccines that Prevent Them
- If You Choose Not to Vaccinate Your Child, Understand the Risks and Responsibilities [PDF – 448KB]
- Immunization Requirements for Child Care and School
- Vaccine Information Statements, including side effects
- How to Hold Your Child during Vaccinations [PDF 156KB]
- Keeping Track of Vaccination Records
- Get The Picture: Childhood Immunizations Video
CDC works 24/7 saving lives and protecting people from health threats to have a more secure nation. A US federal agency, CDC helps make the healthy choice the easy choice by putting science and prevention into action. CDC works to help people live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
Last syndicated: April 19, 2013
This content is brought to you by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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Posted by Ed Darrell
Can your students write this well? This kid was 12:
Letter from 12 year-old John Kennedy, asking his father for a raise in his allowance, in 1929. Click image for larger view. Photo from Peter Lenahan
Found the image at the U.S. Scouting Service Project site, part of their celebration of the history of Scouting.
John Fitzgerald Francis Kennedy, President of the United States, was a Scout in Troop 2 in the Bronxville, NY, from 1929 to 1931. This letter was written when he was 12 years old in 1929.
Transcript: A Plea for a raise
By Jack Kennedy
Dedicated to my
Mr. J. P. Kennedy
Chapter I
My recent allowance is 40¢. This I used for areoplanes and other playthings of child- hood but now I am a scout and I put away my childish things. Before I would spend 20¢ of my ¢.40 allowance and In five minutes I would have empty pockets and nothing to gain and 20¢ to lose. When I a a scout I have to buy canteens, haversacks, blankets, searchlidgs [searchlights] poncho things that will last for years and I can always use it while I cant use a cholcalote marshmellow sunday with vanilla ice cream and so I put in my plea for a raise of thirty cents for me to buy scout things and pay my own way more around.
Finis
John Fitzgerald Francis Kennedy
Contributed by: Peter Lenahan, Bronxville, NY
1 Comment | Boy Scouts of America, children, DBQ sources, Historic documents, History, John F. Kennedy, Parents, Presidents | Tagged: Boy Scouts of America, children, DBQ, Historic documents, History, John F. Kennedy, Parents, Presidents | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Tip of the old scrub brush to Ms. Christine Pelosi, Tweeting as @sfpelosi.
Notes from the film’s maker and the poet:
Shane Koyczan “To This Day” http://www.tothisdayproject.com Help this message have a far reaching and long lasting effect in confronting bullying. Please share generously.
Find Shane on Facebook – http://on.fb.me/Vwdi65
or on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/koyczanI send out one new poem each month via email. You might like to join us. http://www.shanekoyczan.com
“My experiences with violence in schools still echo throughout my life but standing to face the problem has helped me in immeasurable ways. Schools and families are in desperate need of proper tools to confront this problem. This piece is a starting point.” – Shane
Find anti-bullying resources at http://www.bullying.org
Dozens of collaborators from around the world helped to bring this piece to life. Learn more about them and the project at http://www.tothisdayproject.com
Buy “To This Day” on BandCamp http://bit.ly/VKGjgU
or iTunes http://bit.ly/W47QK2
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Poet Shane Koyczan
Leave a Comment » | Bullying, children, Education, Parents, Poetry | Tagged: bullying, Child Abuse, Education, mental health, Parents, Poetry, Shane Koyczan | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Picture from the end zone (a favorite place for true Green Bay fans) during a football game at Lambeau Field, with weather much like tonight’s game. (photo via Tumblr for FullMetalStarterJacket). This is a color picture.
Dad texts the kids:
“You guys got what you need to stay warm [at Lambeau Field in Green Bay]?”
Kids answer:
“We have plenty of green body paint.”
Leave a Comment » | children, Parents | Tagged: children, Football, Lambeau Field, Parenting | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
No, they are not trying to get rid of unions, just trying to balance their budgets. Right?
Other than Rand Paul, Republicans don’t need low-flow toilets, because when it comes to conservation, climate change and the facts, Republicans just don’t give a s—.
Oooh. Signs from the teacher protests of budget cuts in Austin, Texas!
Protester in Austin, Texas, March 2011
Peace Corps celebrates 50 years this year. Steve Mott tells of his first year as a Peace Corps volunteer in a remote corner of Nepal. (From the Norwell (Massachusetts) Mariner Wicked Local online.) (Suitable for a warm-up at least, teachers — maybe good for your unit on the 1960s and the Kennedy administration. “In 1966 it was the Beach Boys and when I got back in ’68 it was Janis Joplin,” he said. “A lot of social changes had taken place in two years.”
Oh, those jocular Tea Partiers! Now they want to bring back child labor, in Maine, and in Missouri. They’re serious when they say they oppose all the “progressive agenda” from the Progressive Era. Look out Women’s Christian Temperance Union and anti-child abuse laws. (Tea Partiers get all get their marching orders from Tea Bag Central — surely other states will follow; let us know if similar bills are in the hopper in your state legislature, eh?)
I keep finding good and interesting stuff in the Imperial War Museum. Have you ever been there? I wish they would do more online. “War Shapes Lives,” a motto on their website. An understatement of history. This painting hangs in the museum, John Singer Sargent’s “Gassed.” At the museum, you may view it in its majesty, 20 feet along the wall, 7½ feet high.
Gassed, by John Singer Sargent. Imperial War Museum
1 Comment | Accuracy, children, Climate change, climate_change, Labor and unions, Museums, Teachers, World War I | Tagged: Accuracy, Child Labor, Climate change, Museums, Peace Corps, Tea Party, Teachers, unions, World War I | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Why would people fail to inoculate their kids against measles, and thereby contribute to deadly epidemics?
There was this guy in Britain, Andrew Wakefield, who published a study suggesting a link between measles vaccines and autism. But it turned out his research didn’t support that claim. Then it turned out he was under contract to produce a paper that made that claim regardless the science, for a lawsuit.
A page from Darryl Cunningham's graphic account of measles vaccine hysteria, "The Facts in the Case of Dr. Andrew Wakefield." TallGuyWrites (Darryl Cunningham)
Darryl Cunningham created a concise, 15-page graphic accounting of the story of how the misdeeds of one physician led to a world-wide, child-killing panic. If you do not know the story, go read it. You should be troubled by the story it tells. Be sure to read it through. Cunningham is thorough in his debunking of the hysteria the anti-vaxxers promote, and you should know it all.
Another page from Darryl Cunningham's graphic story, "The Facts in the Case of Dr. Andrew Wakefield" about the motivations behind the hysteria.
Then send a copy to Jenny McCarthy, or anyone else who carries the torch of ignorance-based hysteria against vaccines and in favor of disease.
Dr. Wakefield’s original paper was retracted by the publisher — it’s no longer considered valid science. It’s a hoax. No subsequent research confirmed any links to autism. Serious, large-scale follow-up studies revealed no connection whatsoever between measles vaccine and autism.
Measles is a nasty disease, tough to eradicate, and working hard to come back and get your children and grandchildren. Don’t be suckered.
Andrew Wakefield created a hoax. Those who rely on his study rely on bogus science, voodoo science. History tells us that, if we stop the fight against measles, people will die.
Would you contribute to publishing this comic for distribution in pediatrician’s waiting rooms?
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Leave a Comment » | Books, children, Disease, Health care, History, Hoaxes, Public health, Voodoo history, Voodoo science | Tagged: Andrew Wakefield, Autism, bogus science, children, Graphic Novel, Hoaxes, Measles, Science, Vaccines, Voodoo science | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Wonderful film from 2007, by Hyun-min Lee. I found it on PBS World this weekend, and then found a YouTube version.
Watch it with your young children.
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsS4Tk-lrxo]
Leave a Comment » | animation, Cartoons, children, Video and film | Tagged: animation, Cartoons, children, film, Hyun-min Lee, Mothers, The Chesnut Tree | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
You are currently browsing the archives for the children category.
Ed Darrell on Texas's Colorado River
Come on in, the water's fine. Come often: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 