First, the good news I got a really exciting email from my cousin Belva. Don is her husband. Here is the email:
I am forwarding an e-mail we received from Don's niece, She is 46 and had a stroke 10years ago that left one side paralyzed. She is a remarkable person and I thought I would share her story with you. She has never once felt sorry for herself and does everything -when I feel sorry for myself, I think of Joanie. I hope all is well with all of you and congrats on Saints win- we were sure rooting for them.
Belva
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From: kj
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: 2/10/2010 12:24:07 P.M. Pacific Standard Time
Subj: Exciting news :-)
Hi Everybody!
Well, I have some exciting news! You know my stroke support group is doing some fundraising for the American Heart and Stroke Association with their Heart and Stroke Walk. Well, Lisa Pickens and Mary Anderson, the two that I work with when I volunteer at the hospital, encouraged me to submit my story in their "Cinderella" promotion. Out of numerous entries they chose mine!!
I am slightly overwhelmed as you can expect, but here is a sample of what I won! Ken and I get to go to the Governor's Ball in Portland Feb. 20th. A designer, Cindy Taylor, already came to my house and fitted me for the gown she is going to make for me! Ken gets fitted for a tux on Thursday. I get a gift certificate at Macy's for some shoes. We get to stay in the hotel after the event. I get my hair and make up done at Robert's Salon. AND I get my choice of Tiffany Jewels to wear to the event! I, of course, have to return them afterwards! :-) A publicist called me this morning, wanted to get some more details about my story and is going to get hold of more reporters. There will be a story in the Oregonian and more than likely the news stations. HOLY ....! Lisa and Mary what did you get me into!! I'm not having a panic attack yet, but am darn close! :-)
So, I figured you would like to know!
Love, Joanie
Anyone that has a stroke at the age of 46 and keeps going on despite the limitations that a stroke causes deserves some good in her life! I don't know Joanie but after reading her email I am excited for her. When the story comes out in the Oregonian I will post a link here. In the meantime good thoughts, positive vibes, and if prayers are your style please send them Joannie's way that she has the best night of her life!!
Now the bad. Research has shown that banning talking on cell phones while driving doesn't reduce accidents. Here is the link to the story:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/insurance/cell-phone-bans-for-drivers-arent-reducing-crashes/19337017/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl6|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyfinance.com%2Fstory%2Finsurance%2Fcell-phone-bans-for-drivers-arent-reducing-crashes%2F19337017%2F
I kind of think the research is flawed because accidents caused by cell phones would be hard to trace. If you have an accident while talking on a cell phone are you going to admit it? And some states have a catergory for the cause of accidents called "distracted driving" and place using cell phones in the same catergory as putting on makeup or eating a cheesburger. I really hope that this so called research doesn't lead to the overturning of the cell phone laws.
Do you think cell phone usage increases your risk of having an accident? I do.
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6 comments:
Geez, Bill, how do you find time to work all day, see Mom and still post such interesting stuff on the blog every day?!
What a wonderful email from your cousin about her husband's niece and how terrific she won the "cinderella" promotion. I love her email about all that's happening with her and she certainly sounds as though she deserves every bit of pampering that's proposed. I hope they'll pass on the details of the Governor's Ball. It does sound like a magical night for Joanie. Sending prayers and positive vibes for a special evening for her.
As to cell phones... I'm ambivalent, at best. I think hand held conversations are dangerous, because you only have one handing. I think texting, which requires looking at the keypad is insane. I can live with answering a call and asking them to hold until you can pull off the road is reasonable. I think answering a call and talking long enough to say you'll call back is reasonable.
Thing is, the handheld thing led to the blue tooth and handsfree accessories.I'm not sure about those. Your concentration is split between the conversation and driving. Yes, both hands are free, but where is your mind? Then again, I've seen kids so hung up on the music banging out of their mega-speakers, I'm not sure they're concentrating on the road, traffic or the music, as I watch them banging the steering wheel and whirling their hands.
And we have so much technology in cars lately.What about the guy watching his GPS, rather than the car ahead of him? That scares me. We have GPS in both cars and I wouldn't want to live without them, but ours are designed to give verbal directions, so we don't have to look at a screen and those directions give ample time to know you have to change lanes, i.e. "Continue 2.5 miles then turn left... in 600 yards, turn left. A banner across the top does tell what street I'm turning onto, but a quick glance is all I need. I don't need to keep track of street signs in heavy traffic or make quick lane changes in heavy traffic and so forth. In an unfamiliar area, this is a huge bonus for me. I let "Bridgette" tell me what lane to be in and when to be ready to turn. Systems that require you to constantly watch a map can be as big, or bigger, a distraction than a cell phone, I would suspect.
As is true in so many cases, I think common sense is the bottom line. I do think cell phone usage, particularly non-hands-free and texting, is looking for trouble. I'm not sure about the hands free, whether it's more distracting than radio music or fighting kids in the back seat, but I suspect that has to do with the conversation content. I do think we need to do "Ben Franklin" sheets on pros or cons, before we promote new technology.
Well, good for Joanie, and I hope she has the time of her life.
As to cell phones, they should be banned while driving. Totally. Studies have shown drivers are just as distracted with hands-free phone calls as with handheld. Texting is definitely insane. Whenever there's an accident, they should be able to check the person at fault's cell phone records and make the penalty much higher if it's found they were on the phone at the time.
Can you tell I'm not a cell phone fan? As to GPS, I've certainly wondered about them. I can't drive well while trying to read a map. Maybe if a voice was telling me where to turn... Since I don't have one, if I'm going somewhere unfamiliar, I map out the route ahead of time, so I only have to glance to see "Rt on [streetname]", each entry on a line by itself.
Hi DR
On work days Sis pretty much handles Mom duties and that helps a lot. A then good friends like you sends me interest stuff. We may talk pets on Monday!
Didn't she sound excited about being cinderella? I will ask my cousing to get her to send me details about the ball.
Texting is awful because there are no hands on the wheel and your eyes aren't on the road. I think often what you are talking about while driving is as dangerous as how you are talking. Honey, I want a divorce certainly would take your concentration away from driving.
Interesting comment about the GPS because we have had several instances of people using GPS systems getting lost because they haven't updated the maps for winter closures and it puts them on dangerous roads without the equipment to survive cold weather when they get stuck.
And I agree we need more information before we decide what to ban.
Bill
Hi Pat
Cell phones drive me nuts too and not just in cars. I hate people talking on them in public places and talking so loud that you can hear every word they say.
We all agree texting is insane. I do think they have the technology to tell when a cell phone it was used and the general area where it was used. They have used that technology to find lost drivers.
I usually mapquest where I am going if I am not sure how to get there.
Bill
I've used Mapquest and Streets and Cities and others and have asked directions from doctor's offices (which usually gains me zip). I thought a GPS wasn't necessary, since I never go on trips. However, I wouldn't be without it now. IF we had two doctor app'ts or Mom decided she wanted to go to line dance before or after an app't or pt, it was a lifesaver, in terms of not only knowing how to get there (after ten years, the logic of streets and such in downtown G'ville still escapes), but it told me about how long it would take to get there. And sometimes, these were last minute decisions. Using the routes I knew or Mapquest hada given me often took 20 minutes. The GPS had us there in five minutes. So long as you've got a valid street address, they're wonderful. And if you're out and about and get turned around, telling Bridgette I want to go "home" leads me right to the driveway. I think one of the big advantages is that many of the street signs here are small and, in some areas, literally non-existent. Bridgette doesn't care. She gets me where I need to be. Granted, sh doesn't always avoid construction zones and I do tend to add ten minutes to the estimated drive time, but overall, she's well worth the money. For RV trips, we combine the GPS with the GoodSam online routing map, which DOES have construction info and the like.
Hi DR
You almost have me convinced to get a GPS but I think it will wait for a while. The way I use mapquest is I never pay attention to their times and I usually know enough about the areas that I am going to that I only use the final information to get to where I am going.
I am curious do you download updates to your GPS for street name changes, closures, etc?
Bill
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