-
Don't text and walk, doctors warn
LINDSEY TANNER Associated Press
CHICAGO — The warning came too late for Barack Obama's adviser: Don't walk and text at the same time.
Obama aide Valerie Jarrett fell off a Chicago curb several weeks ago while her thumbs were flying on her BlackBerry.
“I didn't see the sidewalk and I twisted my ankle,” Jarrett said. “It was a nice wake-up call for me to be a lot more careful in the future, because I clearly wasn't paying attention and I should have.”
Jarrett got off easy and didn't need medical attention.
But in an alert issued this week, the American College of Emergency Physicians warns of the danger of more serious accidents involving oblivious texters. The ER doctors cite rising reports from doctors around the country of injuries involving text-messaging pedestrians, bicyclists, Rollerbladers, even motorists.
Most involve scrapes, cuts and sprains from texters who walked into lampposts or walls or tripped over curbs.
Still, ER doctors who responded to a recent informal query from the organization reported two deaths, both in California. A San Francisco woman was killed by a pickup truck earlier this year when she stepped off a curb while texting, and a Bakersfield man was killed last year by a car while crossing the street and texting.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has no national estimate on how common texting-related injuries are. But among the reports it has received: A 15-year-old girl fell off her horse while texting, suffering head and back injuries, and a 13-year-old girl suffered belly, leg and arm burns after texting her boyfriend while cooking noodles.
Giancarlo Yerkes texted his way across a busy Chicago street Tuesday and escaped unscathed. But the 30-year-old advertising employee admitted he once walked straight into a stop sign while texting and bumped his head.
Yerkes said that he texts while walking to maximize his time, and that the emergency doctors' warning probably won't stop him.
“There's a lot of things you shouldn't do — this is another one on my list,” Yerkes said.
Dr. James Adams, chairman of emergency medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said he has treated minor injuries in several texters.
“Common sense isn't always common,” Adams said.
Sometimes even among doctors.
“I have to admit that I started a text while I was driving and then I said, ‘This is so stupid,' so I stopped,” Adams said.
Dr. Patrick Walsh, an emergency physician in Bakersfield, Calif., said he is a texter, too, but tries to remind himself to do it intelligently.
“We think we're multitasking, but we're not,” he said. “You're focusing on one task for a split second, then focusing on another one, and with something moving 40 miles an hour like a car, it just takes a couple of seconds to be hit.”
Walsh, a native of Ireland, said that on a recent visit there he noticed an effective government TV ad campaign against texting and walking, aimed at teenagers.
The message echoes the new advice from U.S. emergency doctors.
“We don't want to sound like some stern schoolmistress, telling people don't text on your cell phone,” Walsh said. “But when you're texting, look around,” he said.
The ER group also says people should never text while driving, and should avoid talking on a cell phone or texting while doing other physical activities, including walking, biking, boating and Rollerblading.
Help for online job seekers Do your New Year's resolutions include finding a new job? The Internet is a great resource for jobseekers. But far too many people don't use it effectively.
According to Nielsen Online, CareerBuilder, Monster and Yahoo! HotJobs are the most visited job sites. These general job sites attract a wide variety of employers.
There are literally hundreds of thousands of job listings on these sites. You're bound to find opportunities that suit you.
On the flip side, many of these jobs won't appeal to mid- or upper-level professionals. You'll wade through many jobs below your experience level. Some of the better jobs may not be listed on these sites.
So look beyond the general employment sites when looking for your dream job. Here are some tips for using the Internet for your job search.
Try specialized sites
No matter what your field, you'll find a specialized job site. These sites list jobs related to a specific industry.
Specialized sites won't have the same volume of listings as general sites. Don't let this deter you. The listings will better suit your skills.
There's another advantage, too. You won't be competing against so many other jobseekers. However, the competition will be better qualified than on other sites.
If you're a tech worker, try Dice. For government jobs, visit USAJOBS. eFinancialCareers specializes in financial positions, while SalesJobs lists sales positions.
There are many specialized job sites. Search the Web for those in your field. Look for larger sites with plenty of listings.
For instance, if you are a Cisco Engineer - go to www.bradreese.com to post your resume and check the job listings.
Find associations online
Industry associations and clubs are invaluable tools for jobseekers. Most national organizations have Web sites. Visit the site to learn more about local chapters.
By joining an industry organization, you'll meet other professionals in your field. Some of the people you meet may have hiring authority. At the least, you'll learn about new job openings. Some may not even be listed online.
Also, industry associations often have job boards on their sites. These boards will help you find hidden job opportunities.
Visit employers' sites
Companies often list career opportunities on their Web sites. Smaller businesses may have relatively few listings. Larger companies will have hundreds.
Larger companies will have search tools to help you narrow your search. Some even have notification systems. New listings matching your search will be sent to you.
Of course, an employer's site offers more than listings. Use it to find out more about the company and its clients.
Other resources
When you're job searching, you'll be asked for your salary requirements. For this, visit Salary.com, PayScale or PaycheckCity. These sites list salary ranges specific to your region for a given position. They're also helpful for salary negotiation.
A career change is more difficult than a move within your current field. It pays to learn as much as possible about your newly chosen field.
In addition to joining an industry association, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You'll learn about the occupational outlook for countless industries.
You'll find job descriptions, working conditions and general requirements for specific professions.
2) Save money on text messaging
How high is your cell phone bill? If your children have cell phones, it's probably not cheap. And if they're heavy texters, it could get worse. U.S. cellular providers are hiking their messaging fees.
It might be time to reevaluate your current plan. Some providers have per-message fees as high as 20 cents. Some children send upward of 1,000 text messages a month. It can be a hefty addition to your bill.
Go here for the full story: TextMessaging
