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Your Compass MONTHLY
JANUARY 2019
FROM THE DESK OF Ty Wilson
Make every day a holiday with these odd January holidays!
17. Ditch NewYear’s Resolutions Day
1. National Hangover Day 2. Run up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day
18. Thesaurus Day
19. National Popcorn Day 20. Penguin Awareness Day
3. Festival of Sleep Day
Learning to drive is a rite of passage for teenagers, but it’s also a frightening time for parents. The child you’ve raised and loved since the moment they were born is about to get behind the wheel of a machine that contributes to 33 percent of all teenage deaths, according to DoSomething.org. You have every right to be terrified, and just like your parents did when you were growing up, you will have to let your child go. However, there are ways to help keep your teen — and the people around them— safe. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, distracted driving is the No. 1 cause of serious accidents among teens, and their age group is already more likely to ride without their seat belts fastened and to speed. Your child may be a responsible teenager, but don’t assume they will have the willpower to ignore their phone. Here are a few ways you can educate your child about safe driving and ignoring distractions. ROADWOES Help Your Teen Create Safe Driving Habits
4. Trivia Day
21. Squirrel
Appreciation Day
5. National Bird Day
22. National Blonde Brownie Day 23. MeasureYour Feet Day
6. Cuddle Up Day
7. Old Rock Day
8. Bubble Bath Day
9. National Take the Stairs Day
24. Compliment Day
25. Opposite Day
10. Peculiar People Day
26. Spouse’s Day
11. Step in a Puddle and SplashYour Friend’s Day 12. Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day
27. Punch the Clock Day
28. BubbleWrap
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Appreciation Day
Have you ever caught yourself making a sandwich the same way your dad did or saying the exact same things to your children your mom used to say to you? That’s because we all inevitably pick up on our parents’ tendencies and traits, and your driving habits will likely be repeated by your kids.
29. National Cornchip Day
13. International Skeptics Day
30. National Inane
14. Dress UpYour Pet Day
AnsweringMessage Day
To lead by example, put your phone in your purse or center console. If you use your phone for GPS, install a phone stand in a safe location on your dashboard and turn your phone on
15. National Hat Day
31. Backward Day
airplane mode once you set your destination. Your phone’s GPS will work without cell service, and you won’t be distracted by pinging messages.
16. Appreciate a Dragon Day
Continued on page 2 ...
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... continued from cover
a look at your teen’s habits — and your own. Communicating your expectations and setting up these safety nets will give you more peace of mind as they drive away.
Some kids respond better to statistics about multitasking and distracted driving, so check out DMV.org, DoSomething.org, or TeenDriverSource.org. Additionally, local law enforcement agencies or hospitals may offer simulations and classes on distracted driving. These are activities your whole family can participate in. Your child has a right to privacy, but they still need your parental guidance. There are a variety of apps you can install to make sure they’re keeping up their end of the driving bargain. Apps like LifeSaver, AT&T DriveMode, and TrueMotion Family all have a variety of features for parents, and they are compatible with iOS and Android devices. Some insurance companies also offer monitoring devices that can be installed in your teen’s car, if that’s more your speed. Regardless of what you choose, technology can give you an unassuming way to monitor your children while still giving them the freedom and privacy they yearn for and deserve. Before you hand over the keys, take Track Them
You can even include your children on your mission to avoid distractions. If you’re driving and hear your phone going off, ask them to respond to the messenger or caller for you. If you’re traveling, emphasize safe snacking at a rest stop or in a restaurant, and keep yourselves entertained with a variety of car games, podcasts, or audiobooks. Your kiddos will see your effort, and they’ll pick up your safe habits. Your child may have heard about the dangers of distracted driving, but make sure you confide in them about your own worries and make your rules clear. Talk to them about the dangers of all varieties of distracted driving, like putting on makeup or eating behind the wheel. If they feel they have to get ready or eat in the car, discuss ways their schedule might need to be cleared up. They might also have ideas for cutting out distractions in the car, so get their opinion. The more you include them in the conversation, the less your rule feels like the law, and the more it becomes a compromise. “We Need to Talk”
SGT. FIELDY COMES HOME Reuniting Brothers in Arms
Fieldy continued to protect soldiers and civilians by tracking down IEDs, Caceres worked tirelessly to make sure he could bring Fieldy home when his service was over. Military working dogs can be adopted by former handlers, law enforcement, or qualified civilians when they retire. After three years apart and a total of four tours served, Sgt. Fieldy was reunited with Caceres. In 2016, Fieldy received the K9 Medal of Courage Award, and in 2018, he won the American Humane Hero Dog Award for his service. “These dogs are out there with us,”said Caceres when he and Fieldy accepted the Hero Dog Award.“The dangers we face, they face them too. They deserve to be recognized. We ask so much of them, and all they want is to get petted or play with a toy. They’re amazing animals, and Fieldy is just an amazing dog. I can’t begin to express the gratitude I have for him.” If you are interested in supporting our nation’s working dogs or would like to adopt a retired working dog yourself, you can learn more at Missionk9rescue.org.
There are around 2,500 military working dogs currently in service, and their efforts help save the lives of countless soldiers and civilians every day. One of these brave military dogs is Sgt. Fieldy, an 11-year-old black lab who was trained to locate the No. 1 threat in Afghanistan: IEDs. Sgt. Fieldy was deployed to Afghanistan with his handler, Cpl. Nicolas Caceres, in 2011. Early in their deployment, their vehicle struck a pressure plate while they were on patrol. Fieldy and Caceres were all right, but one of the other Marines in their company was badly injured in the explosion. The injured Marine could not be evacuated by helicopter until the landing zone was secured. Fieldy found another IED in the area and alerted Caceres. The bomb was quickly disarmed, and the injured soldier was taken to safety. This wasn’t the only IED Fieldy found. His sharp nose and dedication helped save thousands of lives. After his deployment, Caceres returned home, but Sgt. Fieldy served several more tours without him. While
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Social media has been making the world smaller than ever. The distance among cross-country relatives and friends shrinks with each post or Skype call. And instant updates from loved ones are particularly valuable during the holidays. That Christmas morning video call means Grandma and Grandpa get to see their grandkids in their new holiday outfits, but so can online predators. According to digital and safety experts, half of the photos filtered onto the darknet are stolen from parents’social media accounts. If these predators are privy to your photos, they’re also able to snag your location and other sensitive information, putting you and your children at physical risk as well. On a less disturbing note, social media content is permanent. Even after you delete a post or a photo, it leaves a digital footprint that could follow your child throughout their education and could even affect job interviews or future relationships. It’s still possible for you to foster a sense of privacy in the digital age, but it’s important to respect what your child deems private information. After all, it’s their future. Consider these rules before you share. 1. Ask your child’s permission. If they can speak, then they can speak for themselves. Children love to see photos of themselves, but they may also be aware of what they are and aren’t comfortable with, even at a young age. Socially Secure
SOCIAL MEDIA REMINDERS FOR PARENTS
2. Limit the nudity. Everyone loves a beach day, but think twice before posting swimsuit or skinny-dipping pictures. Opt to post safer photos, like the family posing prior to fun in the sun. 3. Check your settings. Your privacy settings may be exposing your family to more people than you know, and if you feel the need to share every minute of your child’s day online, making these settings airtight will protect your children and their reputations. 1. Tinybeans.com is a secure photo-sharing website for parents of babies and young children. The digital photo album app allows you to share photos with only the people you choose. 2. Create a separate, secure group on Facebook. Family, friends, or coworkers in closed groups can still fawn over their little ones in a personal, safe setting. Despite the dangers your digital life can elicit, you don’t have to avoid the digital world completely. Social media is still a great tool for families to stay connected, as long as you take precautions. Go ahead and brag about your kids online — just be safe and considerate of your child’s wishes. Consider some of these safe alternatives to regular public posting:
Take a Break!
Citrus and Avocado Salad
INGREDIENTS •
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1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 blood, cara cara, or navel orange, sliced 1/8 inch thick and deseeded 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8-inch-thick and deseeded
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1 bunch arugula
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1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
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4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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1 avocado, cut into wedges
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Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss citrus slices with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast citrus until lightly charred and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes. Let cool. 3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine onion and
lemon juice. Season with salt and let sit for 5 minutes. 4. Add citrus, arugula, and mint to onion mixture. Drizzle with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss thoroughly. 5. Add avocado, combing very gently to not crush avocado.
Recipe Inspired by Bon Appétit
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For many people, preparing for the NewYear’s countdown is the most exhilarating part of the holiday season. You tune your TV to the Times Square ball drop, hand out party hats, confetti, and noisemakers, andmeticulously line up some champagne flutes. What’s left to do? Pop open the champagne! There are many partiers who pop the cork with enthusiastic and careless abandon, while others point the bottle away from their faces and anxiously twist the cork until they hear those bubbles surge to the surface. Turns out, while the latter practice may be slightly less fun, it’s certainly the safer approach. On April 8, 1978, Charles J. Murray was injured when a natural cork stopper spontaneously ejected from a bottle of previously unopened Almaden Blanc de Blancs champagne and struck him in the left eye. He was preparing to serve the bubbly to a party of 40 people, so he placed 12 bottles on a rolling cart and removed Inside This Issue From the Desk of Ty PAGE 1 Talk to Your Teen About Distracted Driving PAGE 1 What Happens to Military Service Dogs? PAGE 2 Staying Safe on Social Media PAGE 3 Citrus and Avocado Salad PAGE 3 Take a Break! PAGE 3 Watch Out for Rogue Champagne Corks This Year PAGE 4
PUTTING THE ‘PAIN’ IN CHAMPAGNE Spontaneously Ejecting Cork Causes Lawsuit
“WARNING: THIS BOTTLE IS UNDER PRESSURE. THE STOPPERWILL EJECT SOON AFTER THEWIRE HOOD REMOVAL. TO PROTECT AGAINST INJURY TO FACE AND EYES, POINT AWAY FROM SELF AND OTHERS WHENOPENING.” When it comes to bubbly-induced mayhem, the greatest potential trouble lies in the eye of the beholder — literally. With an estimated velocity of 60 miles per hour, uncontrolled corks do in fact fly faster than the blink of an eye. To avoid having to explain a not-so-fashionable eye patch at work on Monday, handle those fizzy drinks with care.
the foil and wire retainer from three or four bottles — including the one that eventually injured him. Once he started to roll the cart toward the guests, the cork shot out of the bottle all on its own.
Due to the severity of his injury, Murray sued Almaden
Vineyards, Inc., National Distillers and Chemical Corporation, and Carbo, Inc., alleging that they
were responsible because they failed to include a proper warning label on the bottle. The defendants, however, argued that the cork stopper did not and could not spontaneously eject unless Murray had handled the bottle improperly. The case was argued by both sides for two years, but eventually, Murray won. Almaden Vineyards now prints the following on its bottles:
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