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Here is a note from Al's Morning Meeting reader Lee Powell at The Dallas Morning News:

Here's a problem that may exist in communities large and small: streetlight poles (especially older ones) corroding away -- and possibly falling. In between other assignments, I documented corroding poles in multiple Dallas-area neighborhoods. In addition to writing, I also shoot/edit/produce video segments for my paper's Web site -- so when it came time to consult a corrosion expert and utility companies, all the proof was on tape. One power company started pulling down corroded poles almost immediately. 

Here's the link, which includes a video version of the story.

Cheerleading Injuries

You may have seen the story of the Southern Illinois University cheerleader who fell on her head this weekend in a fall. As we head toward tournament season, it might be a good time to look at the issue of rising cheerleader injuries.
 

Last summer after a 14-year-old cheerleader died in a stunt, the The Boston Globe  reported that in the past few decades, cheerleading has become a more athletic, more dangerous sport. 

Between 1982 and 2001, 25 high school girls suffered severe injuries in cheerleading accidents, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research. Four died.

An article in the University of Washington's "Neuroscience for Kids" Web site reported (in 2004):

According to injury statistics reported to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research for the period between 1982 and 2002, the majority of catastrophic injuries to females were from cheerleading. (Most cheerleading injuries happen to females, in part because females are the ones who get thrown up in the air and because there are more female than male cheerleaders.) At the high school level, of 60 direct injuries in all activities, 28 were from cheerleading (46.7 percent). At the college level, of 28 direct injuries, 18 were from cheerleading (64.3 percent).

Last year, a team of epidemiologists led by Dr. Barry Boden from the University of North Carolina analyzed 29 of the 39 catastrophic cheerleading injury reports. The majority of injuries (27 out of 29) were to females. Dr. Boden and his team found that the rate of injury was five times higher for college cheerleaders as compared to high school cheerleaders. Injuries resulted most commonly from pyramid formations and basket tosses.

Last August, Al's Morning Meeting passed this along to you:

The Physician and Sportsmedicine Online reports that while cheerleading is a comparatively low risk sport,

... the most common injury site is the ankle, with head and neck injuries less common but more severe. Two case reports illustrate overuse and acute injuries typical of the sport. Cheerleading injuries have been attributed to lack of experience, inadequate conditioning, insufficient supervision, difficult stunts, and inappropriate surfaces and equipment. Prevention recommendations are included.

The site continues:

The reason for the high degree of injury severity as defined by time lost from sport is unclear, but it may be associated with the demands of cheerleading: The sport requires that all extremities be completely functional for stunts and tumbling runs. Football players can play in hand casts, and throwing and racket sport athletes can still perform if their nondominant arm is mildly injured. Cheerleaders, however, must often lift a partner, perform a tumbling run, do a dance routine, and balance atop a pyramid -- all within the span of a few minutes.

And the study says some states have tried to limit the risk further:

Safety guidelines for cheerleaders vary tremendously from state to state, school to school, and organization to organization. After the death of a cheerleader in a pyramid stunt, the North Dakota and Minnesota legislatures banned pyramids at the high school and college levels. Illinois banned the use of basket tosses at the high school level after a similar catastrophic event.

Decisions to abolish certain stunts have been controversial. Some politicians, administrators, and others view certain stunts as unduly risky. Advocates, fans, and many athletes, however, view the prohibition of stunts as unfair to participants in the affected areas: Without experience in certain stunts, the argument goes, athletes cannot compete for college scholarships or expect to win national events.

Million-Dollar Cribs

I got this note from Al's Morning Meeting reader David Jansen, a staff writer at the Chanhassen Villager:

I work for a community newspaper in Chanhassen, Minn., and we decided to use an idea from your Jan. 30 edition of Morning Meeting on million-dollar homes. It was an interesting process comparing how many homes were in Carver County in 1999 (five) and how many are here now (155).

Scientists Target Soda

MSNBC says one of every five calories in the American diet is liquid. The story says you can look for new studies this week to attack the soft drink industry as a leading cause of obesity.

Great Examples of Multimedia Coverage

The Iditarod is an Alaskan obsession, and there is some very nice online storytelling worth a look. KTUU-TV and the Anchorage Daily News  both have extensive coverage, including constant updates, bios, video and more.

Katrina Tax Laws

You didn't have to lose your home to be affected by changes in federal income tax laws. Donors to charity, businesses (employers) and storm victims are all affected. A new Web site by some graduate students at the University of Kansas School of Business is designed to help you through the filing process.

The IRS also has special Katrina pages.