6-Opinion
6 The News-Press
November 14, 2013
opinions / yours and ours
Take precautions this holiday season The holiday season is a beautiful time of year that can bring people together. But it can also be a time fraught with hazards. That’s something that can easily be overlooked amid the shopping, cooking, partying and keeping warm by the fire. But we encourage you to consider some of the following tips to make the closing weeks of 2013 memorable for the right reasons.
Snuff out fire danger
Winter residential fires — which peak in December and January — result in 945 deaths and cause nearly $2 billion in property damage nationally in a typical year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, an entity of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It’s not quite winter yet, but recent cold snaps remind us that it’s on the way. The administration has some advice to keep fire threats at bay, which we share below. A more detailed list of things you can do can be found at www.usfa.fema.gov/ citizens/home_fire_prev/holiday-seasonal/
our view winter.shtm • Cooking is the leading cause of these types of fires. Unattended cooking is the No. 1 culprit, so stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling. Wear short, close-fitting clothing, for obvious reasons. Maybe most important, stay alert at all times. • Heating sources — including furnaces, fireplaces and space heaters — are another major cause of fires in the home. It is important to keep flammable materials at a safe distance, generally considered to be 3 feet or more, from a heating source. If you’re using a space heater, it is highly recommended that you plug it directly into the outlet and not use an extension cord. Also, make sure your home has a working smoke alarm and that you have an escape plan for yourself
question of the week
Are you a Miley fan? With the announcement that Miley Cyrus will make a stop at Denver’s Pepsi Center on March 4 during her upcoming tour, Colorado Community Media went to the Streets at SouthGlenn to ask: Are you a fan of the entertainer famous for Hannah Montana and, more recently, twerking?
“It’s not my type of music. Really, I’d rather she didn’t come to Denver.” — Mike Hecker, Centennial
“My kids like her songs but I’m not a fan. I guess I just don’t get her.” — Jose Pinedo, Littleton
“Miley Cyrus is OK but I wouldn’t pay to see her. She’s a little too over the top for me.” — Kate Graham, Englewood
“She’s become very trashy. My daughter used to watch Hannah Montana. But since she left Disney, she’s gone downhill fast.” — Suzanne Kisner, Centennial
Finding balance in social media So I had an interesting experience this past week regarding the use my Facebook account, or maybe I should say misuse of my account. What I had done was accept friend requests or connect with people that I work with on a professional level. I had connected with all of my family members, friends, co-workers, business associates, and customers and really thought it was a great way to stay in touch, keep up with their activities and interests and allow them to keep up with what I was doing. The problem was that I had some new things happening in my life, good and exciting things that I was sharing via my Facebook account. As much as I was excited about the cool things going on, apparently there were one or two co-workers who I was connected with on Facebook who felt compelled to stalk my activities and adventures as I posted them on Facebook and further decided to share them with others in the company. Now there was nothing weird or unnatural about my Facebook posts, these folks just thought that they should share my life’s journey with everyone else at the office. This actually caused a little drama and unfortunately resulted in the need for me to “unfriend” all of the people I work with. And at first I was a little dis-
appointed, hurt, and angry. But then as I thought more about it, perhaps Facebook is a much better application to be used with family and friends and connect or interact with my business associates and co-workers in a different way. I already do that via LinkedIn, and since I only use LinkedIn for business reasons, it made so much more sense. The past week has been a test for me, I do miss keeping up with some of my coworkers through Facebook, but I think my anger, hurt, and disappointment have been replaced by a true sense of balance. Facebook for friends and family members and LinkedIn for co-workers and business associates. So far it is working beautifully. Now I understand that many people Norton continues on Page 7
letter to the editor great result of election
This is a great day for school reform, Pay For Performance and continued progress in Douglas County schools. The election outcome can be summed up in two sentences. The very experi-
enced candidates who ran on a platform of progress and reform WON. The candidates who ran on a platform of deceit, untruths, and union bullying lost. Keith Wanklyn Highlands Ranch
and your family, should a fire occur. • An estimated 240 house fires involving Christmas trees and another 150 involving holiday lights and other decorations occur in a typical year in the United States. So, among other things, keep your tree watered and do not overload electrical outlets with lights.
stolen. • The online realm has its own set of dangers. Be very cautious of whom you give your personal information. Getting a new computer or phone? Wipe out all of your private information before discarding the old one. And, of course, keep your passwords private.
Protect your identity
Drinking? Don’t drive
For many, shopping is a holiday hobby, one that carries a risk 0f identity theft, whether online or at the mall. The Federal Trade Commission has some advice to help keep important, private information secure. More information can be found at www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/ feature-0014-identity-theft • Travel light. Do not carry around more credit, debit or identification cards than you really need. • Shred receipts once you no longer need them. When at the store or mall, you might want to keep those receipts in your pocket instead of in the bag, which can be lost or
Holiday parties often involve alcohol. Some people drink too much, then decide to drive, and the results can be horrific. In fact, Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that 43 percent of driving fatalities on Christmas Day are alcohol-related. DUI enforcement generally goes up this time of year as well, so there’s an increased risk to drunken drivers’ wallets, as a conviction can be costly, both in court fees and higher insurance costs. If you’re going to drink, taking a cab or using a sober designated driver are common-sense solutions to avoid hurting yourself and others.
Not time for a change Apparently we were supposed to change our clocks sometime in November. Is that correct? Well, I haven’t changed any of mine, and I don’t plan to. Five of them changed all by themselves: the one on my television, the one on my computer, the ones on both telephones, and the one on the thermostat. That’s enough for me. It’s a pain in the neck, and everything in the house came with a clock. Think about it: the coffeemaker, oven, microwave, two clock radios, two wall clocks, the stereo, the DVD player, and Smitty’s dog dish. The car has one too. I have turned off some of them so I don’t have to see my life passing away on every appliance I own. I think Fall Back and Spring Forward is a dumb concept that has no real benefit. Try to guess who and why daylight-saving time was first proposed. Here’s a multiplechoice quiz. Take your time: 1. It was first proposed by a group of Missouri farmers, who wanted an extra hour of daylight to manage their crops. 2. It was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin, who also proposed the United States adopt the turkey as the national bird. 3. It was first proposed by a New Zealand entomologist whose shift-work job gave him after-hours time to collect insects in daylight. 4. It was first proposed by former Cincinnati Reds manager Sparky Anderson, because he despised day-night doubleheaders. You can give the credit or the blame to
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George Vernon Hudson. He wanted to have an extra hour of daylight to collect insects. I have often wondered why he didn’t just leave things alone, and collect fireflies after work. At some point — in the third grade? — I think we all realize that a day isn’t perfectly symmetrical all year long. There’s more daylight in the summer than there is in the winter. Sooner or later we hear about something called a leap year (or a bissextile year) when an extra day is added to February. I have a friend who was born on a Feb. 29, and when she turned 64, she claimed she was only 16, because she had only had four true birthdays. So early on in life we figured out that time is adjusted, and it has been ever since ancient civilizations got it rolling. It’s fine with me if February gets an extra day every fourth year, but I am good with not being expected to squirrel around with clocks otherwise. The good thing is that it’s not criminal if you don’t. Smith continues on Page 7
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