They Just Wanted A Level Playing Field
Apr 5, 2011 Political
Anyone who owns Apple products knows they are at least two things. They are quality items and they are expensive. After all, you have to pay for quality. The iPhone, iPad, iPod and all other “i” items are very good and lots of people own them. But some folks are priced out of the market and thus must rely on other tactics to get them. Thus is the case with three poor folks who tried a smash and grab at an Apple store. They broke out a window to steal Apple products and were, unfortunately for them, confronted by an armed guard. When one of the attackers displayed a weapon a gun battle ensued leaving one of the poor folks dead, one in the hospital and one under arrest.
It is unfortunate that these people had to resort to such tactics but it is unfair for them to have to go without an Apple product while others are able to get them. This is America where the left believes we should all be the same and the playing field should be a level one. If the government would not step in to provide Instant Troubled Apple Relief (iTAR) then people have to resort to such things.
In reality these were criminals trying to make a profit off the work of others (much like the left) and they paid a stiff price for their criminal venture.
The truth of the matter is, the poor in this country own lots and lots of Apple products. Those on food stamps and other forms of social assistance routinely display iPhones, iPods, and iPads while waiting to get “their check” (anecdotal based upon conversations with people who work at the agencies that handle such social relief).
The poor in this country, those who think the rich have taken wealth from the poor, (if they are poor where did they get the wealth that was “taken” from them) have all kinds of nice things. They have a place to live, air conditioning, cell phones, other electronic devices, cars and nice clothes. Evidently, they are able to afford these things because they are not bothered by having to pay for pesky things like food or energy.
In any event, a security guard removed a criminal from the gene pool and two others will be facing jail time for murder.
Of course, this is America. They might end up with a slap on the wrist, file a lawsuit against the store and the guard and own all the Apple products they want.
After all, they must have a level playing field though for the life of me I can’t find where that is a guarantee.
Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
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Tags: apple, criminals, ipad, iphone, ipod, level playing field, security guard
Possible Hearing Loss Epidemic in America
Jul 28, 2008 General
A recent study indicates that more Americans are losing their hearing at a younger age. While it is common for people to have some hearing loss at age 70, hearing loss is not necessarily a given based solely upon age. There are many elderly people who have no hearing loss. The study indicates that personal listening devices are the reason that younger people are losing their hearing:
“The prevalence of hearing loss in the United States is predicted to rise significantly because of an aging population and the growing use of personal listening devices. Indeed, there is concern that we may be facing an epidemic of hearing impairment,” Dr. Yuri Agrawal of the Baltimore hospital wrote. Yahoo News
This is certainly the case and a lot of it deals with the reality that no one ever published guidelines about the safe listening levels for personal devices though the issue has been looked at since Sony introduced the Walkman. Recently, a study was conducted to determine safe listening times for different sound levels on these devices. The Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) published the findings of a Fligor and Ives study on the devices in its Winter/Spring 2007 newsletter. The information regarding the study can be found on pages 9 and 10 of the newsletter. The chart provided lists the different types of earbuds/headphones and an appropriate time at each level. Depending on the device, the listening time can be as little as 3 minutes at 100% volume. This means that hearing can be damaged if that time is exceeded at that volume.
Personal listening devices are certainly prevalent in society and might very well account for the increase in hearing loss. However, there are a number of things people do daily that also require attention to hearing protection. Using lawnmowers, chainsaws, power tools, impact tools (such as hammers) and playing musical instruments are all hazardous to hearing. One does not have to go too far to see a neighbor cutting the grass without wearing the proper hearing protection.
This might seem trivial and often people indicate that they don’t have any pain so they must be OK. Noise induced hearing loss is painless, progressive, permanent, and preventable. This chart shows how hearing loss can affect how one perceives the different letters (thus the affect on perception of speech) and shows the noise generated by different items. The image is from the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM). That website contains a lot of information about hearing and hearing loss. Please take the time to look around if you are interested in how hearing is affected by noise and what you can do to prevent hearing loss (and the image at the source is much clearer).
The recent study indicates that hearing loss among Americans is increasing and the blame is placed on personal listening devices. While this is certainly accurate, the many hazards that have been around for years cannot be ignored. One other thing the study did not address. We have had a huge number of military members fighting in a war and wars are noisy. Troops are issued earplugs but sometimes, for a number of reasons, they are not used.
It is quite possible that the numbers will be even larger once those troops return home and we can accurately assess the impact of the war on their hearing.
If you have questions or would like further information please address them in the comments or send me an email using the contact form.
[addendum] If you wear hearing aids (or know someone who does) and want a good price on the batteries, let me know and I will tell you where you can get Energizer batteries for 69 cents a piece (40 for $27.55).
Noise and Hearing Loss Fact Sheet
Tags: earbuds, earphones, hearing aids, hearing loss, ipod, mp3 players, noise induced