Hi Readers! The answer is, apparently: None! It is too dangerous! At least, that’s what the Department of Health and Safety says, according to this article. The issue surfaced during a Senate estimates hearing when Liberal Eric Abetz told upper house colleagues he was prevented recently from changing a light bulb in his electorate office. He was told that the rules meant an electrician had to be called. “It is just impractical, it’s stupid,” Senator Abetz told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. “Most Australians would say if a person is not capable of changing a light globe, chances are they…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers! Here’s a nice little life snippet from David Broadbent, a father of three girls in Perth, Western Australia. He’s too busy recording his kids conversations to blog, but he has put 389 of those conversations into a book www.extrafingers.net.au. Enjoy! — L. SIGNS, SIGNS EVERYWHERE by David Broadbent Isabella, after we’d made it to the West End on Rottnest Island in Western Australia about two weeks ago and had had a bit of a look around: “Dad, why are there so many signs?” Dad: “They’re warnings, Issy.” Isabella: “Warnings? About what?” Dad: “About all the things that can…
Readers: I’m thrilled — see why, below! Kudos to the creator of these wonderful “Mom-Petitor” videos, Valerie Stone Hawthorne, a mom of twins in Texas — and, oh yeah, a PhD in cancer biology and cell biology. What a lightweight! Her blog is Mompetition and here’s a profile of her in Time. And here’s me! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZO91sNTz1o]
Hi Readers! Here’s a note from Amy Uzinger, a mom in Tucson. Dear Free-Range Kids: Today I got my 1st grade son’s school pictures in. Along with the pictures, is a ‘Operation Child I.D.’ form. It has my child’s picture and there is a spot on the form to take to the police station to have your child’s fingerprints taken. Then you are supposed to keep this form handy, just in case your child is kidnapped. It disturbs me that thousands of parents will receive this form and it reinforces the belief that children are in constant…
That’s what scared folks ask all the time, believing that predators have a lot more patience than the rest of us and are willing to look through ALL those family photos, just to glimpse your adorable child and plan a trip across several state lines to kidnap him/her. Next time you hear all that, remind them of this story. As Free range reader Michael in California points out: “Thanks to Facebook, a child is alive: Win. The mother has a live child, not a dead one: Win. The friend who noticed the problem knows she saved…
Readers — I just read this story and am sick to my heart. A dad brought his 5 year old son to the park then crossed the street to talk to some friends. The boy ran after him. He got struck by a car and died. Now the father is in jail and the charge has just been upgraded from “felony cruelty to children, reckless conduct and simple battery” to involuntary manslaughter. I cannot imagine how that father would feel even if he weren’t in jail. It’s boggling. This is a tragedy pure and simple. But the issues are not…
Hi Readers! After I laughed out loud three times — sorry, “LOL’d” — I had to share this:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0VOVuxiahk]
Readers — Here the latest from Annie’s Mailbox, which is apparently chock full of psychotics. If you ever wonder why Americans are so obsessed with fear, dread and predators, here’s a little hint: Dear Annie: Last weekend, I stayed at an upscale motel where they serve breakfast in the lobby. After eating, I went to the elevator, and a little boy, perhaps 6 years old, left the table where his father was eating and announced, “I’m going up to Mom.” Dad agreed, and the boy rode up to the third floor with me, chatting the whole time, before getting off…
Hi Readers — This is just one piercing piece, from the newspaper The Age, in Australia. And while I was down there, the wonderful writer of this wonderful op-ed was kind enough to take me on a walking tour of Melbourne, which turns out to be covered with incredible graffiti! BEAUTIFUL graffiti that blew me away — and I come from the LAND of graffiti: NYC! Anyway, I’ve taken the liberty of bolding my favorite line. (Okay – lines.) Enjoy! — L. CLOISTERED KIDS MAKE TERRIBLE ADULTS, by JULIE RUDNER If my parents had raised me the same way now…
In case you were wondering whatever happened in that school district outside of Philly where 2,300 students were issued laptops that the administration then used to spy on the students in their homes, here’s the denouement, as reported on the Law & Disorder website: The school district accused of spying on students at home via laptop webcam has agreed to settle two student lawsuits for a total of $610,000. The Lower Merion School District board of directors released a statement Tuesday morning, saying that it decided to settle in order to move on and “protect the interests of our taxpayers,”…