Monthly Archives: July 2014

Duck (Duct) Tape

Here is a new craft medium!  Duck tape, also known as duct tape, now exists in a variety of colors and patterns.

DSC03592DSC03594 I love the new craft medium of duck (duct) tape.  I covered the oatmeal canister with black tape at the bottom, dotted tape in the middle, and red tape at the top in order to make a small waste basket.

DSC03594 The required amount of tape cost about $0.85.  This was ten inches by sixteen inches or 160 square inches.

DSC03625 Using green and a greenish multicolored tape over a small styrofoam tray, I made a little desk tray, for less than $0.60.  It looks good in the desk.

I got the tapes on Amazon.  The solid colors come with five square feet to the roll, 10 yards long, and two inches wide.  The printed design tapes have 1 2/3 square feet, and come in 10 foot lengths, two inches wide. Altogether I got 70 square feet for about $0.75 per square foot.

  •  The results are enjoyable.
  • The work goes quickly.

 

Danger on Escalators

May 28-June 1, 2008, Budapest (371) The wonderful escalators in Budapest were part of our adventure as we rode the subways.  They could really accommodate a crowd.  They were impressively long .  I enjoyed them so much. For all of the rides I’ve had on them as transportation, and in airports and department stores, I did not completely understand their dangers, until my friend E recounted how she saw her young friend V crawling on the escalator as it neared the top, and she yelled to somebody to, ” Pick him up!!  Pick him up!!”.  In the knick of time, before the moving stair was about to slide under the floor, young V was picked up.  E asked me if I had ever heard of any escalator accidents, and I told her, “No, I honestly have not.  But, I bet we can Google the topic, and find out.” So I Googled “escalator injuries”, and came up with over 100,000 results.  I learned that there are more than 10,000 escalator injuries, including some deaths every year.   I used to worry about getting on and off a little bit, which are fairly and justifiable concerns. However,  the escalator dangers are even greater than these.  The gap between the moving stairs and the side is something I had not worried about, and even the moving rail.   But one should, because fingers, clothing feet, and skin can get caught, and as the escalator moves, can cause amputations, muscle and nerve damage, breaks, and as gruesome as anything, “degloving”. Another major danger on escalators is falling due to playing.  Just imagine how bad it could be to fall on such a huge escalator as shown above.  If you google “escalator injuries”,  you may find an article Pediatrics about escalator injuries. To stay safe on the escalator:

  1. Never wear flip-flops or other loose shoes.
  2. Always have tie shoes well tied.
  3. Keep feet away from the outer edge of the moving stairs.
  4. Keep fingers away from the gap between the moving railing and the static support.
  5. Make sure of the same for any child accompanying you.
  6. Hold the hand of the child, and remain aware of what he or she is doing.
  7. Never permit a child to play on the escalator.  Think of it as being as dangerous as a moving car.
  8. Keep your young children next to you if you are shopping near an escalator.
  9. Never take a stroller with a child in it on an escalator.  This can throw you off of balance.

Being aware of the dangers of this moving transportation object will help keep you safe on escalators.

Mockingbirds

Mimus_polyglottos1 Wikipedia JUL 15, 2014 The Wikipedia article on mockingbirds began with this beautiful public domain northern mockingbird photograph.  The subject came to mind because friend E was talking to me about how dangerously they live.  According to E, she was walking early this morning and saw the remains of a mockingbird who knew her.    She is surprised, because the mockingbirds nest low, according to her, where they are in more danger, even though they could nest higher.  I think that here, they may nest on low branches because wind is less lower to the ground, and these birds are small.

I described the following, which I personally did see.  A bird was making a lot of noise, and dive-bombing a cat, which escaped by hiding under a parked car.  She said that this behavior sounds like that of a mockingbird.

I also believe I saw a couple of mockingbirds this morning in a couple of our young trees this morning, but they flew off before I could get a picture.  (Maybe mockingbirds come out a lot in the morning. My guess. )

The particular mockingbird which she thought was killed was probably one which knew that she was coming a block before she got there.  She proclaimed them to be “smart”, and so I googled “mockingbird intelligence”,  and sure enough I found that they can distinguish between people who are a threat, and who they do not think are a threat.

Birds are amazing!