The life you save
may be your own

Kids Stuff
By William Feldman

Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today’s column includes an important reminder of why you should not drink and drive. I also have a salute to all school nurses, special questions and a cryptogram.
With prom season, graduation and summer on its way, I thought it was important to give everyone this reminder: NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE, THEY DO NOT MIX. Alcohol abuse is a significant problem among young people. Every injury and death caused by drunken driving is totally preventable.
This subject should be brought up at the dinner table to all young teens, teens and young adults. Like the commercial states: TALK TO YOUR KIDS. If this column will influence one person, it was a success.
After memorizing the Pennsylvania driving manual inside out for my driving permit, I thought it was important to share some information I read with you.
The conversation can begin by this scary statistic: In the U.S., one person dies every half-hour and one person is injured every two minutes because someone was drinking.
Also, ponder these facts:
• There is a zero-tolerance law for drinking under age 21 in Pennsylvania.
• Even the smallest amount of alcohol will reduce your concentration, perception, judgment and memory and this will affect your driving.
• Approximately 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve drinking. This obviously is a high number.
• Alcohol affects everyone differently. Your blood alcohol level is affected by age, weight, gender, amount of food consumed and medications you might have in your body.
• If you are a driver under age 21 and your blood alcohol level concentration is .02 or more, you are considered "under the influence."
• In Pennsylvania, if your blood alcohol level is .08 or higher, you are considered to be driving "while under the influence."
Even drivers whose blood alcohol level is .04 (half of the legal limit of .08 for an adult age 21 or older) are between two and seven times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers who have no alcohol in their blood. This means even if you are well below the legal limit, you are endangering everyone’s life.
Other information included in the booklet: The one hour rule. To manage your drinking responsibility, do not drink more than one drink per hour, if you are of legal drinking age. It takes a person of average weight at least one hour to process alcohol in every drink. More than one drink per hour is very likely to push your alcohol level over the legal limit.
YOU can help by:
• Volunteering to be a designated driver.
• Taking away the car keys of someone who is alcohol impaired.
The bottom line: BE RESPONSIBLE — NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE. THEY DO NOT MIX.

HAIL TO THE NURSE
National School Nurse Day, a salute to all school nurses, is celebrated this year on May 7. The special day to honor the nurses has been set aside every year since 1972.
The National Association of School Nurses is a non-profit specialty nursing organization that was incorporated in 1979 and only represents school nurses nationwide. On July 4, 1968, the National Education Association established the Department of School Nurses (DSN), an association dedicated to the advancement of school nursing practice and the health of school-aged children.
I thought this was interesting: In July 1969, the DSN held its first annual meeting in Philadelphia. The DSN continued to expand until finally in 1979, the group became its own entity separate from the National Education Association. The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) was incorporated that year and remains the largest association of school nurses and the hub for state affiliate associations.
According to the School District of Philadelphia’s Web site, "School nurses are dedicated to promoting and protecting the health of students and staff in school and to help students to develop good health habits. School nurses help to identify and provide support for health conditions that adversely impact learning."
What are the exact roles of school nurses, you ask? They help kids and assist parents with assessments of vision, hearing and growth and conditions that may interfere with learning. Nurses also establish and update health and immunization records. If any of the above are abnormal, the nurses will notify parents for further medical evaluation if indicated.
School nurses have other important duties, too. They:
• Tend to a medication check-in list (ideal for the first day of school!)
• Develop and implement health plans to protect and maintain the safety and health of students.
• Increase students’ self care skills.
• Teach students to be responsible consumers of health care.
• Promote improvements in the school’s safety, environment and climate.
• Collaborate as a member of the Comprehensive Student Assistance Process Team to plan accommodations for students with special needs.
• Develop and implement emergency plans for acute physical and emotional problems.
• Assist families in obtaining health insurance and health care for their children.

THE BIG QUESTIONS
These "haunting questions" were sent in by Harris, a weekly reader of Kids Stuff, from Albany, Ga. This was hilarious and I wanted to share it with you.
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in," but it’s only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where’s that extra penny going?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They’re going to see you naked anyway.
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
If the professor on Gilligan’s Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can’t he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They’re both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that Acme stuff, why didn’t he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
CRYPTOGRAM
AI ZIB KLXS LZBI YSST YTSEEMTS, AI ZIB ATLZF NZA ATLXS
Hints: S is E; F is K; Z is N; I is O
Columnist William Feldman can be contacted by e-mail at wmkidscolumn@aol.com