From Medical News Today……

Johnny Jackson, a 10-year-old American boy from South Carolina, died at home on Sunday from “dry drowning” more than an hour after going swimming and walking home with his mother. The sad event highlights a little known danger that parents and child carers should be aware of, that drowning can kill hours after being submersed in water.

Johnny’s mother, Cassandra Jackson, told NBC News in a story broadcast on the TODAY show on Thursday that:

“I’ve never known a child could walk around, talk, speak and their lungs be filled with water.”

Robert Kennedy’s 1948 Reports from Palestine is this week’s essay of the week.

From Edifice Rex….

We were building onto a hospital in Anniston, AL. This crane was only at about 200 feet but to me it was pretty high. They sway so much that I actually felt motion sick as I reached the top. Another thing that is about as common is to have the crane operator die in the crane of natural causes. I guess since most operators are usually older men and the cabs of the cranes get very hot, several of them have had heart attacks. By the time anyone knows what is going on and can get to them (it takes about 15-20 minutes to climb to the cab) they are already dead. One we know of died during a concrete pour. A lot of the high rise floors here are poured with a crane and buckets that holds 2-3 yards of concrete. The operator had enough wits about him when he realized what was happening to hit the emergency stop on the crane but he unfortunately, passed away.

You would think that if you where building a crane that could go 200 feet and more into the air you would be able to a afford the extra cost for some air conditioning won’t you? Maybe they don’t want the extra weight?

I know it cause the guy on TV told me (h/t Belmont Club)

On the balance though, I think that this is a good product. It will teach kids how to defeat electronic surveillance at an early age.

From On the Level…

Do you have stinky pants? It might be your washer if Smelly Washer is to be believed. Apparently, detergents and fabric softeners can build up in the washer and create a foul odor. I didn’t believe it until I asked around the office and a co-worker reported that it happened to him.

This sounds plausible, but why won’t bleach take care of the problem instead of the fancy product they talk about?

Dean L. Kamen is one of the few people alive today who really impresses me with his brilliance. Any fool can be smart. But few can be as smart an creative as Dean L. Kamen. His Wikipedia profile does not do him justice.

To be sure, some of his stuff is over hyped. I never did think that much of the Segway. But a lot of his other feats were truly amazing. This clip shows off his most recent product.

Edit: This profile of Kamen from Wired is better, even if it is dated

From Sippican Cottage comes a list of Ten Dreadful Things That Have Become Housing Standards. He is to be congratulated on keeping the list so short.

As this essay sets out to prove, there is no assurance that the sky will not fall any minute now. Consider yourself warned.