Cutting diamonds

"You could cut diamonds with your thoughts, that's how precise they are. Apply this crystal clear logic to weighty matters."

Well I guess it is good I decided to put together my presentation today for my telecon tomorrow, my crystal clear logic should help. (Ha ha, that's why my project manager called me and asked me to explain what I was trying to convey a few minutes ago.) Now if I can figure out how to carry this over to tomorrow for my actual telecon presentation and then my poster presentation in the second half of the day of my sucky research.

I love discussion boards, but sometimes I also hate them. I had a pretty simple carseat question or so I thought. I headed to the Carseat forum to ask which of 4 carseats is most recommended and explained why I was asking. The second half is what got me. You see Leif and I are going to Denver. I bought one ticket since he can sit on my lap until he is 2 years old. Well that apparently makes me a suck mom to not fork out $547 for Leif to have a seat on a plane for 2 hours each way. Ok, I could maybe get a ticket for half price for him.

The concern isn't for a crash, because in case of a crash, that plastic carseat isn't going to do much. But evidently the concern is in turbulence and that adults have been hurt in turbulence. If he isn't buckled in, he could be seriously hurt in case of severe turbulence. I do believe this. I don't doubt that he could be hurt. Ok, here is what it comes down to... I am a numbers person, I find comfort in numbers. In the approximately 50 times I have flown I have never been in turbulence to such a degree that there was even a minor injury, and flying into Denver and Reno is some of the worst turbulence regularly. So trying to convince me that there is a serious risk of Leif dying or being seriously hurt on my lap seems like a lame excuse for a guilt trip to lay on a parent from another parent. For example, "If I can't afford a ticket for my child then I can't afford to go." GMAFB. (Invented this acronym... you figure it out.)

I had to check the numbers. So here they are... according to 3 online sources. Between 1991 and 1997 there were 3 deaths, 83 serious injuries and 860 minor injuries due to turbulence. This is a femtoliter in the bucket. Yes, it would be a horrible thing and I do know that he is safest in his carseat on the airplane, but any idea how small this percentage (946 people in 6 years) is of the general flying population?

Isn't this comparable to the number of people in 10 years who die while sitting on their toilets in or something? It's a wonder I even drive down the street in my car with him in the back. That's really playing with fire.