Japan's Basic Law on Food Education (Shokuiku kihonho) was enacted in June 2005 as a response to various concerns related to food and nutrition, such as food scandals, an increase in obesity and lifestyle-related diseases and an assumed loss of traditional food culture. The Law defines food education (shokuiku) rather vaguely as the acquisition of…

Describes circumstances of a 1978 camp canoeing accident in which 13 persons drowned. Reports factors which led to the accident, based on details from the Coroner's Report. Poses questions which should be satisfactorily answered before a trip can be safely undertaken by campers and camp staff. (CS)

Many people are invisible within and to the wider society. An adjunct aspect of that situation is that the marginalized are also invisible to one another. This "mutual invisibility" undermines the possibilities of cooperative transcommunal alliances. It is Cedric Sunray's ("Similarities between Tribes and the Ninth Ward,"…

Joe L. Frost is Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas, Austin, and one of America's leading experts on play and playgrounds. In addition to having taught child development and early childhood education at Texas and several other universities, he has written or edited fifteen university-level textbooks and more than one…

Discusses some aspects of the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Explains a number of factors involved including the type of accident, warnings, design and equipment failure, operator error, and negative synergy. Presents alternatives to systems with catastrophic potential. (MK)

Argues that most young children were probably not emotionally distressed by the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle accident or by media reports of the accident because they are most upset by visual ugliness or televised depictions that personally threaten their sense of well-being, neither of which was present in the televised reports. (MBR)

An interview with Mark White on his views of playground safety is presented in this article. Some of the featured interview questions include: (1) How did you start to focus so intently on playground safety?; (2) There was no central accumulation of injury information?; (3) What's an example of an injury report that led to an improvement?; (4)…

This article reviews the history of Maryland's controversial requirement that school buses use single-piece wheel rims. The author suggests precautions for using explosion-prone multipiece rims. (MCG)

Describes a Wisconsin school bus accident in which the driver was killed and students injured, and the school district's response. Suggests ways to cope with school bus accidents. (MCG)

Summarizes results of a three-item questionnaire returned by 43 Michigan institutions expressing views on wearing contact lenses in chemical laboratories. Questions focused on eye protection, type of protection, and use of contact lenses. (SK)

Cites statistics on death and injury from high school sports. Offers advice to coaches and athletic directors about safety consciousness, how to assess sports safety programs, and the advantages of employing certified athletic trainers. (MLF)

A high-profile liability case concerning a fatal ice-climbing accident provides the background for this discussion of liability issues in adventure activities. A brief history of outdoor adventure litigation, emerging trends, and how outdoor guides can protect themselves and their clients is presented. Guides should candidly describe the risks…

The importance of motor development has been well understood by early childhood educators for many years. Unfortunately, they have received little in the way of guidance from designers or manufacturers of play equipment as to how to provide for safe active play. Things have gotten a lot better since 1991. Advocates for children's play have…

Five articles in this issue focus on safety education in agricultural laboratories. Topics discussed include teacher liability; elements of a safety instruction program; state and federal safety standards; ground fault current protection; and eye protection requirements and equipment. (SK)

The president of the National Safety Council suggests ways that parents can promote school bus safety, with emphasis on preventing accidents outside the bus. Parents can explain safety rules to their children and work with their parent teacher associations and school administrators to plan and enforce safety regulations. (PP)