Random, midwinter musings

The recent major snowfall we experienced in New England is beautiful to some, bothersome to others, and sometimes just plain deadly. The pages of this newspaper have borne the sad news of multiple recent deaths with pedestrians on the losing end. There are some obvious lessons: that drivers be more cautious and slow down, and that pedestrians likewise show great caution and don’t expose their backs to vision impaired and possibly distracted drivers. But more, perhaps we don’t prioritize the cleaning of sidewalks and pedestrian byways as we should. On a recent trip to the Italian Alps, we heard an army of snow blowers and small plows clearing the sidewalks in the predawn hours following an overnight dump. By the time that folks were out and about, they could do so safely on freshly cleaned sidewalks. Obviously, a different set of priorities.

Does anyone recall that Crimea was forcibly taken from Ukraine by Russia in 2014? Or that two provinces of Georgia were likewise forced into the Russian fold in 2008? Or that Russia is currently engaged in a raging war in eastern Ukraine for even more territory? Let’s hope that someone is keeping track of all this. “The 80’s called and want their foreign policy back” is not helpful as a strategy.

Does it seem odd that parents in liberal enclaves of California (which are hotbeds of support for anthropogenic global warming) are, in enormous numbers, opting out of having their children vaccinated? The current measles outbreaks in that state give witness to their folly. The lowest rates of immunization are clustered in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, home to many of our media stars and moguls. This, one supposes, is due to the Jenny McCarthy effect, a reference to her highly credentialed qualifications as a trained epidemiologist (please understand this is sarcasm). And unfortunately, there is an amplifying herd effect. According to CNN, “the CDC points out that people who refuse to vaccinate usually live in the same community. When measles finds its way into these communities, outbreaks are more likely to occur, and controlling the disease becomes harder.” An unfortunate circumstance, one which we can only hope that the scientists win.

In the latest of a series of heavy handed government interventions, a Maryland couple are being investigated by that state’s child protective services for allowing their children to walk home alone from a playground. And the threat isn’t idle. CNN reports that a South Carolina mom was arrested for allowing her daughter to play in the park alone, and a Florida mother was arrested for allowing her child to walk home alone. These are decisions routinely made by parents in years past to no ill effect. And the suggestion that the parents should drive the children to and from the park reveals just how poor we humans are at processing risk information. A review of the CDC statistics for childhood mortality reveals that automobile accidents are, by far, the highest cause of childhood deaths. We don’t like to think so because there is a sense of personal control while behind the wheel. This causes us to gravely underestimate the true risks. So those government investigators who demand that the parents drive the kids to and fro are actually increasing the risk to the kids. Maybe the old ways were better.

Let’s close with something lighter. We are all celebrating the Patriot’s Super Bowl victory. The team fought hard and Tom Brady was brilliant. But it wouldn’t have been our team without some heart stopping moments of pure panic. We have come to expect nothing less.