“So Long and Thanks for All The Fish”
- Douglas Adams
If you’ve come here, you may actually be looking for Digital Father Podcast and Blog. I was here, but I moved. Don’t worry, though. WordPress and I are still, well, like this. (Trust me, I’m doing that fingers- wrapped- around- one- another thing.)
You’ll find me and WordPress, thick as thieves, at http://digitalfather.com
→ No CommentsCategories: Meta
Show Notes:
Powered by ScribeFire.
→ No CommentsCategories: Podcasts
… you are subscribed to the old feed, or are linked to the original site.
Digital Father has moved over officially to it’s own domain at http://digitalfather.com
If you wouldn’t mind clicking through to that site, and updating your bookmarks and outgoing links, I would appreciate it.
→ No CommentsCategories: Meta
I was off the grid for about 24 hours. I’m back while I try to square away my domain woes. There is nothing wrong- I am simply less learned about domain and hosting than I ought to be.
I’m learning now. Hopefully there will be fewer interruptions. By the way, what I’m working on doing now:
I’m learning. Roland has been helping. Thanks, Roland
→ No CommentsCategories: Meta
A federal judge ruled that a school district using wood chips around their playground equipment was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The National Safety Council Playground Safety page agrees, and states
“The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that new playgrounds make appropriate accommodations for disabled children. The most important issue is how the children get into the space. The ADA requires a 60-inch pathway that is firm, stable and slip-resistant. Rubber tiles and matting are good for accessibility, while loose-fill material like sand and wood chips are not. An easy fix for a playground is to add an adaptive swing, but ideally much more can be done.”
It’s important to provide diverse and stimulating play experiences for children of all abilities. I’m with the judge on this one, but not for the same reasons, though. I do agree that wood chips make the area less accessible. I also believe that it should be as accessible as possible. My concern is more with actual installation and maintainence.
Anyone who has ever been to a school playground or two knows that they are very poorly maintained. I understand that wood chips, when properly maintained, provide a better cushion than a rubber pad, no matter how well designed and installed. However, that’s when the wood chips are installed to the right depth. This requires calculating a maximum fall height, estimating a landing zone, and maintaining the wood chips to the proper specs.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends in the Public Playground Safety Checklist a minimum depth of 12 inches of wood chips around playground equipment, extending out 6 feet in all directions, and extending twice the distance of the height of the suspending bar for swings. On most school swing sets, that would mean a protected area of 40 feet from back to front! How many of the playgrounds you visit with your children meet those specs?
Wood chips compost annually, which means they need to be replaces annually. I can tell you I haven’t replaced the chips around our play area in years. I know that schools often add to them, but don’t remove the old chips. The chips on the bottom degrade and compress, limiting their effectiveness in protecting falling children.
Rubber mats are installed by professionals to more rigorous standards. They are designed for longer life. They are made to withstand weathering. They do not require the annual attention that wood chips should get. That being the case, I’m for letting the professionals handle my playground safety. I think the initial investment would pay for itself not only in safety and care, but in accessibility and aesthetics.
Powered by ScribeFire.
→ No CommentsCategories: Education · Health and Fitness · Religion/Politics
What did you do to make a special Mother’s Day? Here’s our schedule from the day:
Add your own events to the list. Give other father’s a chance to learn from your success.
Powered by ScribeFire.
→ 2 CommentsCategories: Family · Marriage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2007
Release #07-178
Battat Inc. Recalls Parents Magazine Toy Cell Phones for Choking Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary
recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using
recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of product: Parents Magazine Record-A-Voice Toy Cell Phones
Units: About 300,000
Hazard: The metal pin inside the hinge of the cell phone flip-top can
fall out, posing a choking hazard to young children.
Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 54 reports of the metal pin
falling out of the hinge. In two cases, consumers reported finding the
pin inside a child’s mouth, with one child receiving a cut in the mouth.
Description: Only items bearing date codes 090106 through 101206 are involved in this recall. The date code can be located
on the bottom of the product packaging and in the battery compartment.
Sold by: Target stores nationwide from September 2006 to January 2007
for about $8.
Remedy: Consumers should take these toy cell phones away from young
children immediately and contact Battat to receive a replacement product
or refund.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07178.html
*********************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2007
Release #07-179
Small World Toys Recalls Children’s Take-Apart Townhouse Toys; Detached
Magnets Pose Aspiration and Intestinal Hazards
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary
recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using
recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of product: IQ Preschool Take-Apart Townhouse
Units: About 8,800
Distributor: Small World Toys, of Culver City, Calif.
Hazard: Small magnets used to connect the wooden pieces to the sides of
the townhouse can fall out. Magnets found by young children can be
swallowed or aspirated. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the
magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or
blockages, which can be fatal.
Incidents/Injuries: CPSC and Small World Toys have received two reports
of magnets coming off of the townhouse pieces. No injuries have been
reported.
Description: Model number 2408808 appears on the packaging.
Sold at: Toy stores and various other retailers nationwide and through
catalogs from December 2004 through February 2007 for about $21.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Take these toys away from children immediately and contact the
firm to obtain a free replacement product.
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the
recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07179.html
Technorati Tags: recalls, cpsc, target, battat
Powered by ScribeFire.
→ No CommentsCategories: Family · Health and Fitness
Click the banner to listen to the episode.
Show Notes:
Technorati Tags: chrisrock, ashleyforce, circumcision, politics, hotsuace, career
Powered by ScribeFire.
→ No CommentsCategories: Podcasts
Well, because it IS the only part of his body he can fully control. However, you have to visit DaddyFactory yourself to find out all of the details. I’d hate to steal his thunder. I was so stunned by the full picture that I had to blog it, though.
(Hint) This story will help you realize that Bill Gates is a pretty impressive guy, but money will never make you THIS happy.
→ No CommentsCategories: Reflections
Seen in DEAR ABBY:
Please help me to warn your readers about an alarming trend happening in the teenage community: prom babies. I first heard about it while driving my teenage daughter to a lacrosse meet with several of her girlfriends. One girl in the car, “Carrie,” said she hoped this year she could have a prom baby. ….Both had deliberately planned to get pregnant on prom night — hence the term, “prom baby.” ….My daughter later told me that several of her other friends were considering trying to get pregnant near prom time so they, too, wouldn’t have to deal with the pressures of going to college.
Wow. This one set me back on my heels. The fact that there is a known term for this scared the bejeezus out of me. It’s indicative of a number things, though:
I wonder how many of these young girls come from families with siblings? I can’t imagine anyone with a younger sibling thinking this was a good idea. However, there are many young ladies who have children because they think it’s a quick way to government support, so who knows?
How do you avoid this with your child?
Continuing the road analogy one step further, consider describing a road you traveled once 18 years ago. The road is different, and your memory of it is certainly cloudy. The best you can do is tell them “it was treacherous, but if you’re careful you’ll be able to navigate it successfully.” You can give them the benefit of your experience, but they are in the drivers seat.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Photo found at a disturbing post on Parents Behaving Badly
→ 3 CommentsCategories: Discussion Starters · Father-Daughter · Rants/Opinions
Subscribe using 
Click a link below to play a show Moms and Dads My Link Blog
