Campaign rhetoric

By Joe McAdory

Flipping through the channels Sunday evening, I stopped to listen to the Republican debate for a few minutes. That’s when I heard Arizona Sen. John McCain tell folks that he knew how to catch Osama bin Laden and, when elected, would catch him.

That got me to thinking. If this senator truly knows how to catch the world’s most evil person, why not make a phone call to George in the White House and share this information so we can apprehend bin Laden ASAP?

Keeping warm can be hazardous

By Joe McAdory

Lee County had three serious fires Wednesday night when temperatures dipped into the teens. Winter is here to stay, but there are plenty of safeguards we should take to prevent our homes from turning into fire traps. Below is a message received from the Alabama Department of Public Health:

Each year thousands of Americans lose their lives in fires caused by home heating sources. These fires originate from all methods of home heating including central heating units, fireplaces and chimneys and portable heaters.  As we move farther along into the winter season, let us all be mindful of the risks. 

The National Fire Protection Association recently released its report on home heating equipment fires occurring between 2002 and 2005.  According to the report, U.S. fire departments responded to 62,200 home structure fires that involved heating equipment in 2005. The results were 670 civilian fire deaths, 1,550 civilian fire injuries, and $909 million in property damage.

Statistics

* Chimneys and chimney connectors accounted for the largest share (36 percent) of home heating fire incidents.

* Failure to clean accounted for two-thirds (64 percent) of the confined chimney and chimney connector fires.

* Space heaters, whether portable or stationary, accounted for one-third (32 percent) of the home heating fires and three-fourths (73 percent) of home heating fire deaths.

Remember that most often the deadliest fires are a result of improper use of fireplaces and chimneys and portable heaters. Examples of improper usage include placing heating equipment near things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding.

The Alabama Department of Public Health urges you to follow these safety recommendations when trying to make a warm environment for your families: 

* Make sure space heaters carry the mark of an independent testing laboratory and are legal for use in your community. 

* Install your space heater according to manufacturer’s instructions or applicable codes, consider professional installation. 

* Plug your electric-powered space heater into an outlet with sufficient capacity and never into an extension cord. 

* Use the proper fuel as well as the proper grade for your liquid-fueled space heater. Refuel only in a well-ventilated area and when the equipment is cool. 

* In your fireplace or wood stove, use only dry, seasoned wood to avoid the build-up of creosote.

* Use only paper or kindling wood, not a flammable liquid, to start the fire. Do not use artificial logs in wood stoves. 

* Make sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room. Allow fireplace and woodstove ashes to cool before disposing in a metal container, which is kept a safe distance from your home.

* Turn off space heaters whenever the room they are in is unoccupied or under circumstances when manufacturer’s instructions say they should be turned off. Portable space heaters are so easy to knock over in the dark that they should be turned off when going to bed. Make sure your primary heating equipment for the bedrooms is sufficient to avoid risks to residents from severe cold.

* Do not use your oven to heat your home.

Chop blockers should be suspended

By Joe McAdory

Received a letter to the editor today from a Clemson fan admonishing Auburn’s football program for repeated chop blocks. Freshman offensive lineman Ryan Pugh was called for the illegal block in Monday’s night’s Chick-fil-a Bowl, injuring a Clemson defensive lineman.

As many of us know, this is not Auburn’s first run-in with the chop-blocking police this season. Chaz Ramsey was called for chop blocking against LSU’s Glenn Dorsey and was seen on national television, just like the Peach, I mean Chick-fil-A Bowl. Wasn’t Auburn called for chop blocking in the first half against Vandy? More than likely, many other teams have used the tactic this year and in the past. That still doesn’t make it right. I’m not saying blocks thrown by Pugh or Ramsey were intentional. Things happen in the heat of battle. I understand that. But players need to be more mindful of this and respect each others’ knees.

Chop blocking is dangerous and should warrant much more than a 15-yard penalty. Coach Tommy Tuberville should make a statement and suspend players who cut down opponents in this manner. Perhaps other schools will follow Tubs’ lead and the technique will be history. I would think a chop block is more dangerous than a punch in the face, but the punch in the face gets you thrown out of the game. A chop block gets you 15 yards (sometimes) and less respect.

Escalator incident injures 11 near Georgia Dome

By Joe McAdory

Below is a link to an online story published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding a dangerous situation at MARTA stations New Year’s Eve. Escalators failed at the crowded Five Points and Georgia Dome stations as New Year’s Eve revelors packed downtown and football fans, including thousands from Auburn, crammed into the Georgia Dome to watch the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

The story reports that 11 people were injured on the malfunctioning escalators. If you went to the game, did you see the accidents? You know someone who was involved?

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/01/02/MARTA_0103.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

I’m back from the tropics, bracing for the chill

Joe McAdory/Opelika-Auburn News

After a few days in Daytona Beach, I’m back. Heard it rained in Lee County. That’s good. We needed it. Weather in Daytona was unreal. 80 degrees nearly every day. Hate it for all the folks here who had to toil in this 50-degree high junk.

Here are a few random thoughts upon my return:

—Saw the Atlantic Ocean. Yep, it’s still there.

—Had the best clam chowder of my life at this seafood joint in Ormond Beach.

—Played the worst round of golf in my life at Pelican Bay. How can I go from the 90s to a 110?  And that’s with a handful of mulligans. I believe there was more water than fairway, which is bad since I couldn’t keep anything straight. Price for 18 holes on this very nice course was $27. As I’ve said before, golf is less expensive in Daytona than it is here and the courses are relatively the same.

—Gas prices here aren’t much better than in Florida or south Georgia. Saw gas for $2.96 somewhere near Albany. Got gas for $2.99 in Daytona. I believe prices here are lower, but not considerably.

—Got two lottery tickets. Haven’t checked if I won. If so, have a nice life.

—I learned that children mind much better on trips when Santa Claus brings them a PSP to play with.

—With all of the new restaurants and stores going up, why not a Fazolis? Fast food Italian would be great and I’m tired of having to drive all the way to Valdosta to get my fix.

—Renting a vehicle for a 1,000-mile trip is better than using my own. My cars are old, so it’s better to pile up the mileage on someone else’s. Prices aren’t bad either.

—Heard it’s going to be 18 degrees or something sick like that here sometime this week. That just great. One day I’m in my shorts in Daytona. Now I’m in a ski jacket in Siberia.

—I must thank Jaime Lakin and Susan Lemley for tending to the newspaper’s opinion page while I was on vacation.

I’m going to get back to college football now. It’s New Year’s Day and I’m supposed to watch football on New Year’s Day. It’s a rule or something.