European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 27, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes Friday May 27, 1977 m the households everyone s business by Michael , . Last november rep. Morris Udall of Ari Zona decided to catch up on some household chores like cleaning gutters and checking Aleak in the roof. A Stile later is wife found him lying on the Concrete driveway of their Mclean va., Home with a ladder on top of him and two broken arms. Udall s fall was a typical Home  Survey in the county where he lived revealed that 216 similar mishaps needing medical treatment had occurred during a earlier three month period. The victims were usually males. Most accidents occurred Between noon and 6 p.m., most happened outside the Home and resulted in fall. Udall is one of 200.000 householders injured in ladder Falls each year. According to the latest National safety Council estimates,4 million people suffer disabling accidents in and around the Home and25,500 die. Accidents of ail kinds including those caused by automobiles Are the fourth Lead ing cause of death in the United states. Yet unlike other leading causes of death most of these tragedies could be prevented if we better understood their causes and anticipated the human behaviour that invites disasters Large and Small. Accidents happen because of the Way reuse space. In some Homes somebody is con stantly Barking a Shin against furniture or skidding on a throw Rug. Traffic patents income Homes Breed collisions. In families of five or More the resulting congestion carnival that of a Rouer Derby. A person s health and physical condition also Lead toward accidents fatigue poor eyesight the inexperience of youth the clumsiness of adolescence the infirmity fold age. Perhaps even More important emotions Are incubators for accidents. When we Are distracted angry frustrated. Impatient sad or depressed we tend to stumble break crockery scald fingers and drop Frozen Orange juice cans on our toes. Finally we Are too often ignorant of safety rules and practices. We have not the slightest awareness of the Booby traps Lurk ing in our Homes the frayed lamp cords the damaged Back Steps the poorly fit hallways the Low hanging lamps. How Many of us keep a fire extinguisher in the Kitchen How Many families have taught each member How to turn the main electricity off in the House when necessary How any families for that matter even keep a first Aid kit or know How to use it the first step to safety begins with Antici Pating when where and to whom accidents happen and what objects Are most often involved. For example Kitchen mishaps such As cuts and bums occur most often Between 10a.m. And noon and 4p.m. To 8p.m. Falls a leading cause of injury take place in Stair ways bathtubs and wherever there Are Loose rugs and clutter on the floor. Pets moving Hazard often trip their owners. The very Young and old Are most susceptible to accidents. Young people often Are Vic Tims of fires and explosions and among preadolescent boys accidental discharge of guns. Old people Are vulnerable to tails. Ores and explosions. High Hazard items according to a Survey by the consumer product safety commas son include stairs and Steps bicycles Glass knives Metal cans skates pins and Needles and razors Lawn mowers hammers and pipes and radiators. These Are the common objects of Ever household. We cannot Uve without them so we must change the Way we use them. Goingback to the ladder example what does it matter if Industry designs a ladder with slip resistant Steps reinforced bracing and an instruction Label if the Householder places this Peerless item against the House at to Steep an Angle does not position it securely and then climbs to the next-to4op rung an reaches four feet or to Wash the upstairs bedroom window safety must reside not Only in the product but in the head of the user.  Art Buchwald Washington they said it could t be done but the air Force managed to do it. It developed an air plane that would Cost More than $100 million. The by bomber which will be ready for production As soon As presi Dent Carter gives the word will be the most expensive aircraft in his tory and since the air Force wants to build 244 of them it will Cost taxpayers conservatively $40 billion including operating  went to the army Navy military Industrial Complex club As soon As the announcement was made and there was great rejoicing and excitement. Aircraft contractors were buying drinks for everyone. The Navy scoffed at us an air Force general said. The army laughed at us and civilians in the Pentagon said we were out of our minds. They claimed no matter what we put on the plane we could never break the $100 million Barrier How on Earth did you do it i asked in admiration. We got together with our contractors and we told them we wanted the most expensive bomber that Money could buy. We wanted every sophisticated electronic gimmick they could think of. We wanted plane that could Fly High a plane that could Fly Low a plane that could carry nuclear warheads supersonic missiles cruise missiles and anything else they could think of. We said we wanted the biggest Buck for the  did the contractors say i asked. They were thrilled the general told me. No one had Ever challenged them to make a too million aircraft before. It was t easy to think up new ideas to add to the Cost but we promised to work with them  la never forget the Day the chief Engineer from the company came in and said the Best we can do is build Utju a $75-Millionbomber. We can t think of another piece of equipment to put on it Well we really blew our stacks and told him if his company could t come up with a 1100-million plane we d find one that could. We explained to him that the by bomber was the air Force s baby an the most vital strategic deterrent we had. If we could t make it expensive enough the Navy would t take it  that must have frightened the Engineer i  the pants off him. We sat Down with him and asked if he had thought of Windshield wipers and he said he had t. Then we asked him Why the plane did t have Whitewall tires. He could t explain it. We pointed out we needed leather seats and not the Vinyl one she had decided on. He kept writing figures Down. The big break through came though when someone thought of rear window defrost ters. The Engineer protested that if he put in rear window defroster they would have to completely redesign the plane. That s what you re paid for we told him. C  across1 Shade tree 4 ump counterpart 7 bomb Orgas 11 pack13 artificial language 14 therefore15 rain heavily16 beginning for age or sole 17 Roentgen discovery is Small spray20 sax Horn relative12 Jove for one 24 Navy s goat21 loud applause 32 commerce33 lounging Slipper 34 arable36 English river37 follows orders39 deportment 41 Baske material 43 Strain at44 Facto 46 betwee India and tibet54 arrive s3 epic hero55 cartoonist Goldberg iridescent gems7 full of suffix51 French town is Star of Shane 60 Golf mound61 Oriental Coin avg. Tolu Llou down1 poisonous snakes order or Light. 3 time of Day 4 margin5 Correct copy6 tribunal 7 american league team Blunder t moslem title 10 Rogers or campanella12 Chicago Ball Park time 25 min. T 17 answer a yesterday s Puzzle. 19 smal Antelope 21 Blin Dasa 23 unearth hollow place21 fragrance 27 certain paper Money cupid 2t-libra30 musical symbol31 be silent 3s place fora wrestler 31 drink slowly 40 hebrew letter 42 necktie4j River in france47 places 41 skilled49 Spanish province 50 Mountain pass 51 we ii org52 insane 54 River i Scotland today s crossword 5 27 Deconn Landers dear aim Landers was printed to � years ago i would like Toi store with your Reader. The author is Martin Well Stern.  being a father t too on product of a Broten Home. I grew up without the physical or Iper dial presence of a father without he comforting knowledge that at Home thereat a Strong figure i could turn to for Lolace warmth and discipline someone who would be glad to Hare the Joyi of child Hood and shield me from the minor  am note a Middle aged Man the father of three but i can still feel the pain of being fatherless at if i lust had a tooth extracted. That void in my life has never been  up alone forged my character and my personality. It taught me to look Only to myself for Aid and Comfort. But it denied me an emotional Haven the one thing a Young Perton needs if he it to grow up  vital it is for a child to have a shoulder to cry on i crisis. He needs a place to to so he can close his eyes and shift the Burden of woe or responsibility even for a moment to someone who really cares. Only a lather can ill this role. Only blather can create the ambience that grounds the emotional Secu Rity that Young people require if they Are to become mature diets and in turn pass on to their children the warmth an love that makes for stability. I love my children and i car about them. This Means in Addi Tion to attending Pat meetings and open school nights / give of myself. I do not try to enter their world As a peer i want to be a lather not a Friend. I establish order in my Home. This Means discipline Swift certain consistent and above All else Loving. I strive to transmit traces of concern without creating neurotics. This Means setting Stan Dards and insisting on achievement within the Frame work of my child s capacity to perform it Means sharing the victories and helping to pick up the pieces after a failure. Being a father Means nights under a Sheet with billowing steam to cure the croup anymore nights trying to decipher the new math. It Means museum time and Romp time family Ting ing dinner table discussions Reading Edgar Allan Poe by candlelight in the Den sacrifice without histrionics conveying the fact that parents Are human and therefore fallible. It Means saying i m sorry when you re wrong even from your exalted position As head of the House. The Job is full time saturdays and sundays included. It can reopen to anyone who cares to apply and is willing to work to Quail / and it is not necessarily limited to natural parents. Step athers. Adoptive others Euen strangers who care can enter the Arena and came out a relationship with a child that will refilled with rewards and yes Sor rows and disappointments. Forthe sum total of All these things is a father. Dear Friend thank you for sending Martin Wel Ratel s Beautiful piece on being a  to rare be has helped pot fatherhood in la pro pets Uve it in Flold eur Palm inc