gdp's Comments

KATU - Portland, OR : Police: Father accidentally ran over his daughter with a tractor | Local & Regional | KATU.com - Por

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:42:57 +0000

While it's true that we can learn from this, it is not fair to assume the baby was intentionally left "alone." Accidents happen. No matter how hard we try, we're never going to be perfect. Most of the time when we screw up and when we make mistakes we get lucky and nobody dies. The attitude that "It can't happen to me because I'm a good parent and obviously THOSE parents aren't" is dangerous. I know a family who lost a toddler in a drowning accident because of a simple miscommunication. Two adults each thought the other adult had the child. Nobody just "left" the child unattended, they each thought they'd left the child in the other's care. Meanwhile the child managed to get outside and into the pool unnoticed. It was just an ACCIDENT. We have no reason to believe this family was not being as careful as all of us would be, but accidents just happen sometimes no matter how hard we try to prevent them. Of course it's a good reminder to check and double check when moving a vehicle, whether it's a tractor or a lawn mower or a car. But let's not ASSume that the parents were negligent in this. It could happen to any of us. Due diligence can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk.

KATU - Portland, OR : Moment of panic for dad when stroller gets stuck in MAX doors | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon |

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:42:15 +0000

The last time I rode a max train with strollers, we went to the zoo with (let's see if I can remember this correctly) 2 adults, 1 grade school child, 1 preschooler, and 2 toddlers. The 2 adults were NOT the parents of the toddlers... neither of us were used to carrying 2-3 year old children around on our backs, and toddlers really can't handle an entire day of walking. So yes, we had a stroller for each toddler. I cannot imagine trying to safely get all those kids onto the max train while each adult was busy trying to manhandle a folded-up stroller. We actually had another adult meeting up with us at the zoo. It too him an hour to find a parking spot. So even if my Suburban hadn't been in the shop, it sure was nice to be able to take the train. Strollers and all. And actually, the low-floor trains DO allow for kids in strollers. On the Trimet website, under the heading of "Bringing a Stroller" it says this: " • You may use a seat in the priority seating area by the door, as long as it's not occupied or needed by a senior citizen or a rider with a disability. Look for the "Priority seating area" sign. • We ask that you keep your stroller folded while on board, except on low-floor MAX trains (those without stairs at the door). This is important for the safety of your child and your fellow riders." So I guess we weren't breaking the precious rules after all.

KATU - Portland, OR : Moment of panic for dad when stroller gets stuck in MAX doors | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon |

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:08:33 +0000

Fair enough. I'll just drive my Suburban instead.

KATU - Portland, OR : Moment of panic for dad when stroller gets stuck in MAX doors | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon |

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:47:34 +0000

I was not aware of the rule to fold up a stroller before getting on a max train. How would you even do that? You've got a kid, a stroller, probably a diaper bag, possibly even a car seat... if you fold up the stroller how are you supposed to safely get all that crap onto the train safely and efficiently? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Pushing the kid onto the train and THEN folding the stroller up at your seat is clearly the safest way to manage it. Likewise for deboarding -- pushing the stroller is the safest way to do it. It will be interesting to see if Tri-Met releases the surveillance video.

KATU - Portland, OR : Mother, baby girl trampled to death by elephant | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | National & Wo

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 06:36:13 +0000

Yeah. Anybody who dares to take a vacation anywhere other than a Six Flags or Disneyland deserves a Darwin Award. Oh wait. People die at Six Flags and Disney occasionally, too. In fact, people have died hiking at Multnomah Falls, too. Remember the headline from October 2008: "Man Dies and Family of Five Injured in Incidents near Multnomah Falls" Darn. I guess we better all stay at home in bed. But then we're at risk for obesity, heart attack, and stroke... Yeah, I think I'd rather risk dying while out seeing the world than sitting on my couch with a beer watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

KATU - Portland, OR : Rare trumpeter swan killed near Colville | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon| Outdoor News

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 06:25:53 +0000

Probably some idiot who couldn't tell the difference between a swan and a goose. Whatever it was, I hope the person gets caught. It's people like that who give real sportsmen a bad name.

KATU - Portland, OR : Mother, baby girl trampled to death by elephant | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | National & Wo

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 07:20:39 +0000

"Yosemite and the grand canyon are much safer." You apparently haven't run into any Grizzlies, Cougars, Wolves, or Rattlers lately. People are killed by wildlife in our own national and state parks, too. It is just too common to make the news. When a US citizen gets trampled by an elephant, it's highly unusual. I'm sure a Kenyan national being eaten by a bear would be similarly sensational in their own country.

KATU - Portland, OR : Skull found at Camper\'s Hideaway | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 00:29:04 +0000

You're assuming that people at KATU passed their high school journalism classes. And I think that's quite a leap, considering.

KATU - Portland, OR : Man who died saving girl was extremely ill | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | News

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:46:18 +0000

It is pretty rare for adults to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, unless they're pregnant. Occasionally someone gets through for being disabled or having other qualifying factors along with a very low income, but trying to convince "the system" you're really disabled is extremely difficult.

KATU - Portland, OR : Camp officials questioned over flu outbreak | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | News

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:59:49 +0000

My niece came home from (a different) summer camp a few weeks ago with H1N1. She was apparently the only one who caught it (or at least got sick enough to report it; she was hospitalized briefly due to other complicating health issues). I do think closing the camp is an overreaction, and make it a news issue is even more so. I'm not saying we should encourage the spread or anything, but anybody who is exposed to it now and fights it off will probably have an advantage once the regular flu season hits and nothing we can do will totally contain it. So closing everything down to slow the spread of H1N1 seems a little silly.

KATU - Portland, OR : Deer euthanized after being found alive with arrow through its neck | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon |

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:15:10 +0000

Yes, I agree. I do not agree with the method, and I tried to make that clear in my comment. I would prefer to see citizens work within the law for change, rather than outside of it. I just don't see it as black-and-white as Wolfer does -- assuming that it was done out of evil intentions. If he lived in that neighborhood and routinely saw starving, diseased deer wandering through the streets like I did when I was growing up, he might be more proactive about finding a solution rather than vilifying whoever did this as a "poacher criminal." The issue just isn't that simplistic.

KATU - Portland, OR : Deer euthanized after being found alive with arrow through its neck | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon |

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:41:45 +0000

That state biologist is really jumping to conclusions assuming that the deer was shot by "some poacher criminal with blatant disregard for the well-being of that deer ." I grew up in the neighborhood where the deer was found, and caring people are always talking about how much they wish they could responsibly thin the deer population. It's not all about roses and gardens -- there are other ways to deal with that -- it's about watching sick, emaciated deer walking around because of the overpopulation problem. Even Wolfer admits there have "been disease outbreaks among city limit deer." It makes one heart sick to look at them. But because one can't fire a gun within city limits without drawing a lot of attention, some people resort to bow hunting. I'm not saying I condone it, and it's breaking the law, but it's done out of compassion because there are NO legal, safe, and ethical methods in place for city-limit deer population control (and no natural predation to rely on, either). In their natural environment, deer are a prey species. When humans effectively drive out their natural predators, they MUST be willing to step in and exercise responsible population control. I suppose they could always try to educate the deer about family planning methods, but hunting is probably going to be more effective. I think it's very unlikely that the person who shot the deer was doing so out of a "blatant disregard" for the animal's welfare. More likely, it was a botched attempt at responsible (yet illegal) animal control. And no, I'm not excusing the hunter's failure to make sure that the kill was quick and clean, or even the fact that the hunter broke the law, regardless of his or her intentions.

KATU - Portland, OR : Teens killed by train identified | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | Local

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:03:17 +0000

People are surprised how easily the sound of a train can be drowned out. People are struck all the time simply because they've got their headphones in their ears as they walk down the tracks, or even just because the wind is blowing the wrong direction. I am sure they could not hear or feel the Amtrak train over the sound of the freight train. These kids probably did think they were being safe. Most people don't realize how dangerous railroad tracks can be. I recently taught a group of teens a class on train and railroad safety, including a video I purchased from Operation Lifesaver. Even the adults in attendance learned things they didn't know ("but I did that all the time when I was a kid!!"). From my conversations with the teens I was working with, I don't think these kids were out of the ordinary. It's not "stupid," it's just tragic, and it could happen to anybody who hasn't been properly taught about railroad safety.

KATU - Portland, OR : \'Donut\' forms on Mount St. Helens | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | News

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:22:15 +0000

It's not true that "all the other glaciers in the Cascades are retreating." Mt. Shasta is part of the Cascades, and its glaciers are growing as well. http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2... I'm not implying, of course, that glaciers are growing on a grand scale... but St. Helens is not the only exception to the rule of receding glaciers.