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	drakyndra 2008-06-13 06:45 pm UTC (link)
	Maybe it's because I live in Australia, and thus am used to seeing OMG IF YOU DON'T FENCE OFF YOUR WATERFEATURES YOUR KIDS WILL ALL DIE! messages all over the media, but I'm more than a little shocked that people are criticizing someone for putting his children's safety first. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	silrana 2008-06-13 08:53 pm UTC (link)
	Me too. I live in Florida, and drowning in pools is a leading cause of death for children, right up there with car crashes. When my husband and I were houseshopping, the first thing we would tell the real estate agents was "no pools, we plan to have kids". (Reply to this)(Parent)

	msmanna 2008-06-14 12:10 am UTC (link)
	but I'm more than a little shocked that people are criticizing someone for putting his children's safety first. You're talking about the UK, here. Animals win over people, even children, every time. If it ever turns out there were, God forbid, newts in that pond, a torch-waving mob will march on his house, demanding justice. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	re_weird 2008-06-14 07:00 am UTC (link)
	Heck, in San Francisco there are more dogs than kids ~~and they get treated better too~~ (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dragonfangirl 2008-06-14 05:22 pm UTC (link)
	Same in all of Japan, sadly. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	hobbitsexual 2008-06-14 12:32 am UTC (link)
	Also Aussie and also shocked. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	squeakytoy 2008-06-14 02:16 am UTC (link)
	Another Aussie here. Considering my uncle had to fence off a shallow fishpond in his front yard because it was two inches too deep to be left unfenced... I'm not shocked - because people are teh stoopid - but yeah, I can get putting the safety of children first. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	sevendeadlyfun 2008-06-14 06:15 am UTC (link)
	Okay I just read Bill Bryson's book "In a Sunburned Country" and I'm so scared of Australia right now. There are so many things that could kill you, I think the whole country is dangerous enough to deserve a fence. I love Aussie accents but I'm terrified of all the poisonous animals. No, for reals. Australia is scarier than clowns. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	squeakytoy 2008-06-14 11:31 am UTC (link)
	And yet over 20 million people live in the country and never suffer anything worse than a sunburn... :D (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sevendeadlyfun 2008-06-14 01:58 pm UTC (link)
	Oh I know and I know Australia's a great country. My irrational fear remains unconvinced. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

cinnabar
2008-06-16 08:45 am UTC (link)

Actually, although Australian snakes are said to be the most venomous in the world, they're not the worst snakes to be bitten by, for two reasons:
1) Their fangs are shorter than many other snakes, hindering envenomation;
2) The venom actually runs down grooves in the back of the fangs, rather than down a hollow interiour. This means that it is less likely to enter the bite, particularly if they bite through fabric, hindering envenomation.
( 3) There is also some debate about how toxicity studies fail to take into account the amount of venom typically injected per bite; so while at a standard amount of venom some Australian snakes may be more poisonous, if they only inject half of that typically while a 'less' venomous snake injects double that, you may be worse off being bitten by a 'less' poisonous snake.)

Still, don't try and emulate Steve Irwin. Dude was nuts.

Australia's really not that dangerous anyway! *encourages gently*</strike>

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	aerobot 2008-06-14 12:53 pm UTC (link)
	I think it's all a matter of perspective. Sure, Australia has poisonous stuff. But hell, America has heaps of sharp-toothed things like bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars, wildcats, and so forth. If you're walking in the outback, at least you don't need to wear a bell so a bear won't be surprised and tear your face off. I'll take my odds with the poisonous stuff. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ms_treesap 2008-06-14 01:00 pm UTC (link)
	lives in England :D? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	aerobot 2008-06-14 01:37 pm UTC (link)
	... Uh ... England still has wolves, right? D: (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ms_treesap 2008-06-14 01:56 pm UTC (link)
	Just in Scotland, I think. Hundreds of miles away from me \o/ (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

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papervolcano, 2008-06-14 03:42 pm UTC

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ms_treesap, 2008-06-14 04:10 pm UTC

	madam_marozi 2008-06-14 03:37 pm UTC (link)
	England has Mad Cow Disease. I saw it on Oprah! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

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aerobot, 2008-06-14 06:13 pm UTC

	hallidae 2008-06-14 11:03 pm UTC (link)
	England has minks. And animal rights activists who are stupid enough to break them out of their farms. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	sevendeadlyfun 2008-06-14 02:00 pm UTC (link)
	I think you're right. People tend to minimize familiar danger and exaggerate unfamiliar danger. ~~It doesn't make me less afraid, though.~~ (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	aerobot 2008-06-14 06:15 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, it's perfectly natural to be afraid. Try having a nice relaxing swim at the beach when the teacher tell you that sea snakes live around there, and not only are they extremely poisonous, but also very curious and like wrapping around people's legs. Yeah, Australia sucks hard sometimes. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	platedlizard 2008-06-16 03:59 am UTC (link)
	If it helps, I was the there in '01, and the only venomous critters I saw were in zoos. I saw one snake and it was the eats-bugs-and-small-frogs kind. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	ladylauren 2008-06-14 01:36 pm UTC (link)
	I sporfled at 'Australia is scarier than clowns', and am now trying to work out a way to iconise it. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	hobbitsexual 2008-06-16 11:09 am UTC (link)
	DO EET. That would be rock! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ladylauren 2008-06-18 06:07 am UTC (link)
	I'm not hard to persuade. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	hobbitsexual 2008-06-18 06:16 am UTC (link)
	made of win! (Reply to this)(Parent)

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sevendeadlyfun, 2008-06-28 05:35 am UTC

	aerobot 2008-06-14 12:58 pm UTC (link)
	Fellow Aussie here, and freaking word to that. I mean, for god's sake, fifty-four children drowned in 2002. That's two kindergarten classes. Plus many more almost drowned or suffered injuries in the water. So yeah, excuse me if I support this guy for not wanting his kids to be injured or dead because of a dinky little pond. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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