happythoughts 0 #1 October 11, 2005 clicky QuoteAndrea Levin is grateful that Broward County schools care about her daughter's safety. But this year when they posted a sign that demanded "no running" on the playground, it seemed like overkill. "I realize we want to keep kids from cracking their heads open," said Levin, whose daughter is a Gator Run Elementary fifth grader in Weston. "But there has to be a place where they can get out and run." Quote Broward's "Rules of the Playground" signs, bought from an equipment catalogue and displayed at all 137 elementary schools in the district, are just one of several steps taken to cut down on injuries and the lawsuits they inspire. Equipment that is considered dangerous? Merry-go-rounds. Teeter-toters. Sandboxes. Cement crawl tubes. ...and swings? Quote"Kids aren't using them the way they're supposed to," said the agency's director, Donna Thompson, who led a national effort to get rid of animal swings two years ago. "I'm pleased that a lot of these are disappearing." QuoteIn their place, a lot of playgrounds now are inhabited with clusters of bright, multi-use contraptions with names like "Ed Center" and "Platform Climber Composite Structure." They're lower to the ground than their predecessors, coated with plastic and engineered for safety. Platform Climber Composite Structure ? wtf? "We could do a lot more if we didn't have to watch our back every single second," said Graziose, who has led a playground safety committee for 17 years. "We sometimes get a letter from the attorney before we even get an accident report from the school." Quote"To say `no running' on the playground seems crazy," said Bartleman, who agreed to be interviewed on a recent outing at Everglades. "But your feelings change when you're in a closed-door meeting with lawyers." "your feelings change when you're in a closed-door meeting with lawyers" And they are never good feelings. "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." --Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part II, IV, ii. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,146 #2 October 11, 2005 Quote clicky QuoteAndrea Levin is grateful that Broward County schools care about her daughter's safety. But this year when they posted a sign that demanded "no running" on the playground, it seemed like overkill. "I realize we want to keep kids from cracking their heads open," said Levin, whose daughter is a Gator Run Elementary fifth grader in Weston. "But there has to be a place where they can get out and run." Quote Broward's "Rules of the Playground" signs, bought from an equipment catalogue and displayed at all 137 elementary schools in the district, are just one of several steps taken to cut down on injuries and the lawsuits they inspire. Equipment that is considered dangerous? Merry-go-rounds. Teeter-toters. Sandboxes. Cement crawl tubes. ...and swings? Quote"Kids aren't using them the way they're supposed to," said the agency's director, Donna Thompson, who led a national effort to get rid of animal swings two years ago. "I'm pleased that a lot of these are disappearing." QuoteIn their place, a lot of playgrounds now are inhabited with clusters of bright, multi-use contraptions with names like "Ed Center" and "Platform Climber Composite Structure." They're lower to the ground than their predecessors, coated with plastic and engineered for safety. Platform Climber Composite Structure ? wtf? "We could do a lot more if we didn't have to watch our back every single second," said Graziose, who has led a playground safety committee for 17 years. "We sometimes get a letter from the attorney before we even get an accident report from the school." Quote"To say `no running' on the playground seems crazy," said Bartleman, who agreed to be interviewed on a recent outing at Everglades. "But your feelings change when you're in a closed-door meeting with lawyers." "your feelings change when you're in a closed-door meeting with lawyers" And they are never good feelings. "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." --Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part II, IV, ii. It wouldn't be an issue if parents didn't hire lawyers in the first place. "We have met the enemy and he is us"... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gravitymaster 0 #3 October 11, 2005 Seems OK to me. As long as they wear their Running Helmets, whats the problem? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jkm2500 0 #4 October 11, 2005 Maybe parents should sign a waiver so their kids can play on the play ground. I, like everyone else do not want to see my child get hurt, but for crying out loud, what are they supposed to do? Maybe just get rid of playgrounds altogether. Then they don't have to worry about kids getting hurt on them. I've got a better idea, maybe we should outlaw playground equipment, that would make the world a better place. Then, we should sue all the playground equipment manufactures(sp?) for producing equipment that has caused so much pain and suffering. Then we should demand impeachment of anyone elected to a school board who voted in favor of installing playground equipment. Plus we should appoint a "task force" to study the effects of playground injuries, and make recommendations to the president to have national "playground tragedy awareness week". We need to call in psychologists en masse to talk with anyone who has been affected in any way by playground disasters. Then congress needs to enact some policy and trust fund for the victims and families of any playground disasters. Then create laws forbidding the production, importation or distribution of any playground equipment. The president needs to declare an emergency so FEMA can mobilize and remove any playground equipment and any residual effects of playground equipment. Then our children will truly be safeThe primary purpose of the Armed Forces is to prepare for and to prevail in combat should the need arise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #5 October 11, 2005 QuoteI've got a better idea, maybe we should outlaw playground equipment, that would make the world a better place. They did. In the article, there is a list of banned equipment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tso-d_chris 0 #6 October 11, 2005 QuoteThey did. In the article, there is a list of banned equipment. As long as we're protecting our children from fun. We'll have none of that. Accident lawsuits have become a sort of morbid lottery in this country, and there's no need to buy a ticket to win. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyangel2 2 #7 October 11, 2005 OMG, I'm shocked that we lived through our childhood.May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ViperPilot 0 #8 October 11, 2005 If you can't break an appendage on it or falling off it, it's not a real playground. Sheesh, what happend to the "good ol' days" when we could jump off swings, trip and bleed all over, etc? What a shame... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #9 October 11, 2005 Things are getting along the road to being like this over here too and I think it's a crying shame. There's nothing wrong with the mechanisms of law (here at least) in my opinion. There does need to be a way for people to sue councils and park owners where equipment in them is dangerously defective, but that's not what I see happening. People are abusing the system and the system is allowing it. That is where the flaw is. I personally feel that there needs to be a re-think by the courts on what level of personal responsibility it is reasonable to expect of an individual. If that individual is a child then what is reasonable to expect of their parent. If equipment is dangerous because of a flaw – ok I buy that. If equipment is merely inherently dangerous (say a zip-slide or swing bridge or hell even swings as you can fall from them) then people need to take that into account when they let their kids play on them. Liability needs to be placed on the parent for failure to supervise their children appropriately or for consenting to their playing on that kind of equipment. We need not see warning signs or disclaimers on park equipment – everyone's played on a swing so everyone should be perfectly able to appreciate the danger in using them. High things are high things – gravity should come as no surprise to any adult. If they choose to allow the use of that equipment then it is their problem if their child is injured as a result of an inherent feature of that equipment. If kids are not using them the way they were intended then the kids need to be supervised by the parents. I personally object to their being a duty on the park owners to supervise their use – that on public policy grounds is not possible. If kids and vicariously parents, choose to use the equipment in a manner in which they were not intended then they should accept the responsibility for anything that stems from that misuse. There really does need to be a re-evaluation of the standards to which we hold people. Society need not molly-coddle people in their daily lives. Sometimes bad shit happens. Sometimes you should have just been watching what you were doing. Sometimes it IS your fault. Shit pisses me off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rushmc 23 #10 October 11, 2005 QuoteQuote clicky QuoteAndrea Levin is grateful that Broward County schools care about her daughter's safety. But this year when they posted a sign that demanded "no running" on the playground, it seemed like overkill. "I realize we want to keep kids from cracking their heads open," said Levin, whose daughter is a Gator Run Elementary fifth grader in Weston. "But there has to be a place where they can get out and run." Quote Broward's "Rules of the Playground" signs, bought from an equipment catalogue and displayed at all 137 elementary schools in the district, are just one of several steps taken to cut down on injuries and the lawsuits they inspire. Equipment that is considered dangerous? Merry-go-rounds. Teeter-toters. Sandboxes. Cement crawl tubes. ...and swings? Quote"Kids aren't using them the way they're supposed to," said the agency's director, Donna Thompson, who led a national effort to get rid of animal swings two years ago. "I'm pleased that a lot of these are disappearing." QuoteIn their place, a lot of playgrounds now are inhabited with clusters of bright, multi-use contraptions with names like "Ed Center" and "Platform Climber Composite Structure." They're lower to the ground than their predecessors, coated with plastic and engineered for safety. Platform Climber Composite Structure ? wtf? "We could do a lot more if we didn't have to watch our back every single second," said Graziose, who has led a playground safety committee for 17 years. "We sometimes get a letter from the attorney before we even get an accident report from the school." Quote"To say `no running' on the playground seems crazy," said Bartleman, who agreed to be interviewed on a recent outing at Everglades. "But your feelings change when you're in a closed-door meeting with lawyers." "your feelings change when you're in a closed-door meeting with lawyers" And they are never good feelings. "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." --Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part II, IV, ii. It wouldn't be an issue if parents didn't hire lawyers in the first place. "We have met the enemy and he is us" Boy, did you NAIL this one!"America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #11 October 11, 2005 Quote...Then, we should sue all the playground equipment manufactures(sp?) for producing equipment that has caused so much pain and suffering. I'm with you jkm... Oh yeah! That dangerous swing that made me fall on my head when I jumped out of it in 1957 - heck, I could sue my parents for negligent supervision....whoa...I could sue you for not warning me of the dangers before now!....Ooo, Oooo...I could sue myself for exposing myself to mortal danger!!!!!! YeeeHaaaw...let's sue everybody! As for the parents...screw you, you spineless buttheads who can't/won't take responsibility for yourself and your kids. Use the courts for "easy money"...My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #12 October 11, 2005 Thanks, Bill...got my day started with a pissed-off attitude. Where's my exit-funnel videos....My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScottishJohn 25 #13 October 11, 2005 Ban the playground and in 10 years the parents will be able to sue the school because their kid got fat because the school did not give them enough opertunity to exercise at playtime.---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you think my attitude stinks you should smell my fingers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #14 October 11, 2005 Welcome to the politically correct, litigation prone, bubble wrap generation...Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miked10270 0 #15 October 11, 2005 QuoteQuote "We have met the enemy and he is us" Boy, did you NAIL this one! Here comes The Quote Police..... "We have met the enemy, and he is ours." Oliver Hazard Perry. Naval Hero. We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly. Cartoonist. Regards, Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,146 #16 October 11, 2005 QuoteQuoteQuote "We have met the enemy and he is us" Boy, did you NAIL this one! Here comes The Quote Police..... "We have met the enemy, and he is ours." Oliver Hazard Perry. Naval Hero. We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly. Cartoonist. Regards, Mike. Thank you so much. I needed that. I was quoting Pogo, the other version doesn't apply in this case.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #17 October 12, 2005 QuoteSeems OK to me. As long as they wear their Running Helmets, whats the problem? Don't forget the knee, elbow and wrist pads. Mouth protectors too. We're on the way to raising a bunch of wimps... So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #18 October 12, 2005 On our way? - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gravitymaster 0 #19 October 12, 2005 Quote On our way? - Jim There Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #20 October 12, 2005 My parents gave us bows and arrows (real ones) to play with. However, that's not a good example because they didn't like us very much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePhelps 0 #21 October 12, 2005 QuoteOMG, I'm shocked that we lived through our childhood. What about me?? I'm 50!!! I drank from a garden hose, played "pick up" baseball and footbal years before some adults could organize my fun time, rode my bike all over town without a helmet, rode in the back of dad's pickup, never wore seatbelts in a car, ate beef, stayed out past dark, never locked a door. no nintendo, no game boy, no play station, (RPG meant Rocket Propelled Grenade not Role Play Game) My Gawd, how did I survive? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #22 October 12, 2005 I'm 40 and did all that.... how *DID* we survive? Like I said above...welcome to the BWW (bubble-wrapped wimp) generation....Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,146 #23 October 12, 2005 QuoteQuoteOMG, I'm shocked that we lived through our childhood. What about me?? I'm 50!!! I drank from a garden hose, played "pick up" baseball and footbal years before some adults could organize my fun time, rode my bike all over town without a helmet, rode in the back of dad's pickup, never wore seatbelts in a car, ate beef, stayed out past dark, never locked a door. no nintendo, no game boy, no play station, (RPG meant Rocket Propelled Grenade not Role Play Game) My Gawd, how did I survive? I'm 60 and we played with mercury, made fireworks and home-made rocket motors, used asbestos... I once extracted chlorine gas by electrolysis in my parents' kitchen, and fluorine in Science Club at school. And then we synthesized phosphoric acid starting with elemental phosphorus and fuming nitric acid! Not to mention playing cricket with a hard ball.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #24 October 12, 2005 What? Cricket with a hard ball - are you CRAZY? Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePhelps 0 #25 October 12, 2005 Quote I'm 60 and we played with mercury, made fireworks and home-made rocket motors, used asbestos... All our paint was lead based too. Mercury was cool to mess with in Chemistry. In 1990 I was working in Cimmarrones, Costa Rica helping build a little church in the rain forest. When my crew saw the abestos ceiling tiles, they wouldn't put them up. I told the local pastor, Sherman Lion, that my men wouldn't work with the tiles because they were abestos. His reply was "That's okay, they're not asbestos to me". Needless to say we lost something in translation. Upon seeing him do that, my guys put on masks and we put the stuff up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
