Major League Baseball Teams Wearing Patriotic Themed Uniforms During Fourth of July Games

On Monday, July 4, 2016, Major League Baseball teams will be sporting special patriotic themed caps and jerseys during their games to honor America's Independence Day holiday.  The jerseys will incorporate a stars and stripes / fireworks theme to the lettering and numbering while the caps will either be blue or red with a background of white stars emblazoned on the front.

In addition to adding some patriotic spirit to America's pastime on the Fourth of July these uniforms will be assisting the charity Welcome Back Veterans which assists U.S. military servicemen and women with making a successful transition back to civilian life.  Major League Baseball's licensing royalties from the sale of the replica caps and jerseys their teams' players will be wearing on the field for Independence Day will be donated to this veterans charity.

These specialty Fourth of July uniforms are altered each year to make them collectible and maintain fan interest in each year's new design.  Check out your favorite team's Stars & Stripes cap and jersey by visiting shop.mlb.com.  I have to admit not really taking much of a liking to this year's Stars & Stripes cap and jersey designs for the U.S. teams but ironically the Blue Jays Maple Leaf Cap version of the Fourth of July uniforms in my opinion comes off really sharp. The Blue Jays will wear their specialty caps and jerseys on Canada Day (July 1) as well as on the Fourth of July.  So what do you think of this year's Major League Baseball Independence Day uniform designs?

Metro Detroit Salvation Army Thrift Stores Summer Sale

We regularly go through our bedroom closets and dressers at the beginning of each summer to weed out clothing items that are in good condition but don't fit or just aren't worn anymore for our family to donate to the local Salvation Army thrift stores.  I just dropped off our annual summer donation of unused clothing and household items to The Salvation Army the other day.  It is a win-win-win deal when donating items to The Salvation Army thrift stores because it provides a tax donation to the donor, recycles unwanted items so they don't end up in landfills, and supports a good cause -- The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center.

You've heard the phrase relating to how alcoholics and drug addicts are dealing with sobriety as "on/off the wagon," well that saying goes back to the 1800s when The Salvation Army had horse-drawn wagons going through the streets offering rides to addicts wanting help.  More than 200 years later those efforts continue with all the proceeds from The Salvation Army's thrift stores in southeastern Michigan supporting an independently funded, 180-day residential rehabilitation program that is free to any man or woman desiring to break free from alcohol or drug addiction.  Shopping at these thrift stores transforms people's donations of physical items into revenue to fund the Adult Rehabilitation Center and can also provide shoppers with some great bargains.

Save by the dawn's early light at The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center family thrift stores as they celebrate summer with special deals during the non-profit's annual Fourth of July Sale.  Visit any of the 36 Metro Detroit Salvation Army thrift store locations to enjoy 50% off clothing on Monday, July 4, 2016.  Plus there will be great deals on fashion accessories, home goods and other items during surprise bonus sales that will be announced throughout the day.

“The Fourth of July celebrates the independence of our country, and our Fourth of July sale is helping more Americans become independent – from drugs and alcohol,” Merle Miller, administrator of The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center, told A Geek Daddy Blog. “By attending the sale and stocking up on summer essentials helps us to help the brave men and women who are facing their addictions at our rehabilitation center.”

Founded by William Booth in London, England, in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. The Adult Rehabilitation Center is an integral part of The Salvation Army's mission, and offers substance-abusing adults the opportunity to rebuild their lives through a voluntary, short-term residential self-help program designed to establish a sense of dignity, self-esteem and personal strength that will allow them to resist the desire to abuse a substance and regain their rightful place as contributing members of society. Completely self-funded, the Adult Rehabilitation Center draws its entire operating budget from the revenue of  thrift stores located in Southeast Michigan -- none of the donations from The Salvation Army's well known Holiday Bell Ringers campaign supports this program. Additionally donations to these thrift centers annually recycle or diverts more than 24 million pounds of waste from area landfills. For more information visit www.salarmythrift.com or call 313.965.7760.

Don't Blow Your Fourth of July Weekend Fun With A Fireworks Accident

It's that time of year again where tents selling fireworks seem to be on every corner and people enjoy the fun of the booms, crackles, pops and whistles that rocket and sparkle in the warm summer air.  Unfortunately, it is also a time when we hear too many stories of people getting killed or injured from being careless or drunk when enjoying fireworks turning a fun experience into a tragic situation.  The summer started off this year in our community with the news that a 47 year old man died the weekend before the Fourth of July when fireworks he was holding in his hand blew his head into fragments right in front of his horrified family.  Fireworks can be a fun summer time tradition, but please remember to treat them with caution and care because preventable accidents and deaths occur way too often during this time of the year.

Last year 11 people died from consumer fireworks incidents which isn't a huge number in the scope of all things but still were all living, breathing, folks who could still be living their lives today if they weren't essentially screwing around.  One of those deaths occurred locally here too when a 44 year old man was hit in the chest with an errant flying rocket on the Fourth of July.  In addition to the fatalities, 10,500 people were injured by fireworks last year according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

One of those was a high profile Detroit television personality who risked losing a high profile, high paying lucrative job when he lost an eye in a fireworks accident celebrating the Fourth of July in 2014.  Dave Rexroth, the 49 year old chief meteorologist at WXYZ - TV 7 described the incident in a recent interview with the Detroit Free Press newspaper, "a box of repeater mortars - multiple shells that shoot from a box up into the air and explode didn't go off - I went to check on it and it went off in my face."   As a result, he now wears a prosthetic eye.  It could have been worse though he could be blind or even worse dead.  Rexroth notes though "I'm not angry at the fireworks people ... I'm more angry at myself."

With more than $1.89 million in consumer fireworks sales just within Michigan last year, the bulk of those being sold between June and August, you can tell fireworks are a popular source of entertainment. Hey I'd be a hypocrite if I said "don't play with fireworks" as I've celebrated the holiday with them as a kid myself and with my kids as a Dad now. If you are planning on including your own personal fireworks celebration as part of the Fourth of July festivities, here is a friendly reminder on a few tips to keep in mind to keep everyone safe. 

• NEVER allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers.  Parents may not realize how often young children suffer injuries from sparklers.  Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt metal;

• ALWAYS have an adult close by to supervise fireworks activities if older children are allowed to handle devices;

• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or mishap;

• Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks.  Soak them with water and throw them away;

• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper, which is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers;

• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers;

• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.  Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks;

• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.

•  It may not look cool, but consider wearing safety glasses to provide extra insurance your eyes are protected if you are the one lighting the fuses.

• Refrain from drinking alcohol while using fireworks - don't drink and drive / don't drink and shoot fireworks - impaired judgment is one of the leading causes of fireworks deaths and injuries.

Now these seem like obvious and easy rules to follow, yet thousands of people are getting hurt by not being careful enough around fireworks.  This year if you are using fireworks please take a step back and make sure you are being extra cautious and ensuring that only children are of appropriate age and maturity handle them plus are adequately supervised by adults.  We don't want to see anyone's Fourth of July blown apart by a fireworks accident.  Let's all have a fun and safe holiday!

For more information and tips CLICK HERE to visit the website for the NATIONAL COUNCIL ON FIREWORKS SAFETY, an industry trade association promoting responsible consumer behavior with its products.  The AMERICAN PYROTECHNICS ASSOCIATION also has a useful website filled with tips and information about responsible fireworks use.  CLICK HERE to read the Consumer Product Safety Commission's 2014 Fireworks Report that  was released in June 2015 which is an annual summary of accidents and injuries. You can also find useful fireworks safety tips and information from the CPSC here.

Don't Let Fireworks Blow Your Holiday

You can count on it like clockwork...as the Fourth of July holiday approaches the evenings will be filled with the bangs and hisses of fireworks being shot off in the neighborhood and you'll begin seeing stories in the news about people being injured or killed by being reckless with explosives and sparklers.  The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that there were eight deaths and 11,400 injures related to the use of fireworks in the U.S. in 2013 with 65% of those injuries occurring in the 30 days surrounding the Fourth of July.  Last year's injuries were in increase from 8,700 in 2012.

Hey I'd be a hypocrite if I said "don't play with fireworks" as I've celebrated the holiday with them as a kid myself and with my kids as a Dad now.  The problem is that people need to start being a lot more responsible and less reckless with fireworks because here's the rub:  according to the CPSC last year "CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN AGE 5 experienced a higher estimated per capita injury rate than any other age group."  When it comes to children, especially under the age of 5, these are ALL avoidable injuries if adults stand up and act responsibly.  We need to do better and can do better when it comes to protecting children during the Fourth of July from fire work related injuries.

The CPSC annually reviews incident reports from hospital emergency rooms, death certificate files, police investigations, and news clippings to evaluate the causation of injuries associated with fireworks.  These annual evaluations have shown that people feel comfortable handing off to children fireworks that are perceived not too be "powerful" like sparklers and bottle rockets.  The reality is though that in 2013 these two types of fireworks resulted in 40% of all the estimated injuries that occurred.  In fact, what many people consider the least dangerous firework, SPARKLERS, were the most likely to cause injury in 2013 - 31% of the injuries last year attributed to fireworks were caused by sparklers.

When it comes to deaths, a clear picture has emerged, on what to avoid.  According to this year's CPSC report ALL of the deaths in 2013 resulted when the victim was manipulating (or was a bystander to someone who was handling) a professional or home-manufactured firework.  It is probably best not to make your own fireworks and to leave the heavy-duty professional grade ammunition to the pros.

If you are planning on including your own personal fireworks celebration as part of the Fourth of July festivities, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

NEVER allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers.  Parents may not realize how often young children suffer injuries from sparklers.  Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt metal;

ALWAYS have an adult close by to supervise fireworks activities if older children are allowed to handle devices;
Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or mishap;

Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks.  Soak them with water and throw them away;

Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper, which is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers;
Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers;

Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.  Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks;

Never point or throw fireworks at another person.

Now these seem like obvious and easy rules to follow, yet thousands of people are getting hurt by not being careful enough around fireworks.  This year if you are using fireworks please take a step back and make sure you are being extra cautious and ensuring that only children are of appropriate age and maturity handle them plus are adequately supervised by adults.  We don't want to see anyone's Fourth of July blown apart by a fireworks accident.  Let's all have a fun and safe holiday!

For more information and tips CLICK HERE to visit the website for the NATIONAL COUNCIL ON FIREWORKS SAFETY, an industry trade association promoting responsible consumer behavior with its products.  The AMERICAN PYROTECHNICS ASSOCIATION also has a useful website filled with tips and information about responsible fireworks use.  You can also find information from the CPSC here.

Hoping your Fourth of July is a Blast & doesn't end up in a Bang!

You can tell the Fourth of July holiday is approaching as the stands selling fireworks have popped up at nearly every intersection and the evenings start to become filled with the sounds of booms, bangs and hisses.  Enjoy the season, but please be considerate of others and careful when enjoying fireworks.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 200 people PER DAY in the United States end up in an emergency room for treatment for a fireworks related injuries in the month around the Fourth of July.  In fact 60% of all fireworks injuries for the whole year occur in a 30 day span surrounding July 4^th!

As parents we can allow our children to enjoy fireworks but we need to be vigilant about supervising and maintaining safety around them.  Too many parents are being too lax when it comes to fireworks.  The numbers when it comes to childhood injuries involving fireworks are troubling.  According to the CPSC, 29% of fireworks injuries reported involve children 0 – 14.  Another 15% of injuries involve the ages of 15-19.  So almost half of ALL injures involving fireworks impact children.

Of the injuries suffered I found it interesting that only 1% involved arms thought that number would have been higher – the majority of injuries are to hands and fingers 41% with injuries to the head being the second most common with 19%.  More than HALF of ALL injuries were from BURNS so remember that sparklers can be dangerous if not handled responsibly too.  The most common firework injuries are from firecrackers accounting for 23% of injuries with sparklers and bottle rockets tied for second place each with 12%.

The CPSC has put together a nice illustration with this information:  http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2013/06/cpsc-science-fireworks-injuries-2013-update/

I remember running around the front yard with sparklers as a kid and blowing up firecrackers with my dad as a kid.  We have some fun with our kids enjoying fireworks now too.  The numbers involving injuries though are troubling and very preventable.  I’m pointing out this information today so we can all come together to try and make the Fourth of July safer for children.  Every kid should associate the Fourth of July with a fun experience enjoying fireworks rather than a terrible trip to the hospital or even worse a long-term injury or scar that they will associate with the holiday for the rest of their lives.

With that in mind here are some useful safety tips from the CPSC:

•          Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
•          Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
•          Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don't realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt some metals.
•          Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
•          Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
•          Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
•          Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
•        Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
•          Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
•          After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.
•          Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.

From my family to yours we are wishing everyone an enjoyable and safe Fourth of July.  Happy Birthday America!