Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schoolyard - Page 3

Owain Taggart · November 16 2012, 10:35 PM

There was a local story here a few months ago where a kid brought a sandwich to school and it was confiscated. They thought it was peanut butter when it really was a peanut butter replacement. Apparently it's part of a policy to ban anything that they can't be sure about, so rather than take a risk, they confiscated his sandwich.

MacLeod · November 17 2012, 12:21 AM

^Seems a tad draconian.

scotpens · November 17 2012, 12:34 AM

Deckerd wrote:

I don't understand why nut allergies are on the increase.

Kirby wrote:

^^ From what I understand the increase in nut allergies in children corresponds to the beginning of genetically modifying nuts, specifically peanuts in the early 1980s. I think this is more circumstantial evidence than anything else but I've never gone looking for studies on it. Either way, I think GMO foods are kind of scary.

StolenThunder wrote:

My understanding is that a rather simple explanation is a heightened response to non-threatening environmental substances due to less frequently encountered environmental pathogens in this age of hygeine and cleanliness.

So instead of being tuned to bacteria and that, the immune response becomes overactive to other allergens.

That seems a far more plausible explanation. Blaming everything on genetically modified foods is this decade's equivalent of blaming everything on atomic bomb tests back in the 1950s.

Kestra · November 17 2012, 12:58 AM

I just want to point out that it's not always possible to avoid things you are allergic to. For example, someone allergic to trees might know not to go near them. But sit in a classroom that has had open windows, or next to someone who dries their clothes outside, and you can stil, react. I'm not saying ban everything, just that awareness can only go so far.

Rhubarbodendron · November 17 2012, 05:40 PM

I'm allergic to fools. Can someone please remove all politicians from this planet?

scotpens · November 17 2012, 08:52 PM

MacLeod wrote:

Owain Taggart wrote:

There was a local story here a few months ago where a kid brought a sandwich to school and it was confiscated. They thought it was peanut butter when it really was a peanut butter replacement. Apparently it's part of a policy to ban anything that they can't be sure about, so rather than take a risk, they confiscated his sandwich.

Seems a tad draconian.

That's what comes of having idiotic "zero tolerance" policies. Zero tolerance is for authorities who don't want to be bothered with having to make judgments based on common sense.

-Brett- · November 17 2012, 09:04 PM

I hope the kid doens't share mom's attitude. I can just imagine how well it'll go over with her prospective employers when she demands that they pay for extensive landscaping around the workplace, and impose limits on what the other employees are allowed to bring in for lunch.

MacLeod · November 17 2012, 10:10 PM

scotpens wrote:

MacLeod wrote:

Owain Taggart wrote:

There was a local story here a few months ago where a kid brought a sandwich to school and it was confiscated. They thought it was peanut butter when it really was a peanut butter replacement. Apparently it's part of a policy to ban anything that they can't be sure about, so rather than take a risk, they confiscated his sandwich.

Seems a tad draconian.

That's what comes of having idiotic "zero tolerance" policies. Zero tolerance is for authorities who don't want to be bothered with having to make judgments based on common sense.

Common sense what is this strange concept of which you speak. :P

macloudt · November 17 2012, 11:15 PM

teacake wrote:

macloudt wrote:

I came across this article a few days ago. The comments are hilarious, including several links to medical articles stating exactly what M'Sharak said.

I knew a child who takes regular medication because simply being around oak trees at certain times of the year could trigger anaphylactic shock (this was several years ago and I can't remember exactly what triggers the allergy, only that she was "allergic to oak trees"). The child's mother, a nurse, made sure the child always took her medication, always had an epi-pen on her, and sent the child on her merry way outside to play with the other children. No way in hell did she expect a single tree that wasn't on her own property to be cut down, even though in this rare case being around an oak tree really could kill her child. The child was four years old when the allergy suddenly developed, and from that age she could recognise an oak tree and knew to stay away from it.

That's pretty interesting, what were her symptoms when she was around the trees? I'd be looking at moving somewhere where these trees were uncommon, though that might be counterproductive if slight exposure over the years build up the body's resistance to them. And I suppose there are whole countries where you'd be stuffed as far as no oaks went.

If I remember correctly, the child wasn't directly near a tree the first time the allergy kicked in. She did well on her medications, and, to be frank, it's difficult to avoid trees in the Canadian province of Ontario. As the child does well on her medications there's no need for the family to move to the prairie provinces or above the tree line.

teacake · November 17 2012, 11:22 PM

Above the tree line! That would be hell.

I knew some people who moved to French Island which is a flat wasteland to avoid allergies.

macloudt · November 18 2012, 11:40 AM

Living in a place with no medical facilities when you suffer from allergies may not be the best idea, though.

While I'd love to visit above Canada's tree line, I'm too much of a city girl to want to live there.

Deckerd · November 18 2012, 07:04 PM

Orkney or Shetland. Full Scottish social, educational and health services. No trees.

JiNX-01 · November 18 2012, 07:12 PM

If the kid is allergic to nuts, maybe she should be taken away from her mother.

Owain Taggart · November 18 2012, 08:05 PM

scotpens wrote:

MacLeod wrote:

Owain Taggart wrote:

There was a local story here a few months ago where a kid brought a sandwich to school and it was confiscated. They thought it was peanut butter when it really was a peanut butter replacement. Apparently it's part of a policy to ban anything that they can't be sure about, so rather than take a risk, they confiscated his sandwich.

Seems a tad draconian.

That's what comes of having idiotic "zero tolerance" policies. Zero tolerance is for authorities who don't want to be bothered with having to make judgments based on common sense.

Yeah, exactly. Obviously, zero tolerance will work better for some things like bullying, but there are things like this that require a more hands-on approach. If you think about it, zero tolerance prevents society from learning and adapting to situations, which is all part of life's experiences.

bbailey861 · November 22 2012, 09:06 PM

Bid to banish trees has ended:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11...yber-bullying/

November 16 2012, 10:35 PM	#31
Owain Taggart Commodore	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly There was a local story here a few months ago where a kid brought a sandwich to school and it was confiscated. They thought it was peanut butter when it really was a peanut butter replacement. Apparently it's part of a policy to ban anything that they can't be sure about, so rather than take a risk, they confiscated his sandwich.

November 17 2012, 12:21 AM	#32
MacLeod Vice Admiral Location: Great Britain	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly ^Seems a tad draconian. __________________ On the continent of wild endeavour in the mountains of solace and solitude there stood the citadel of the time lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe looking down on the galaxies below sworn never to interfere only to watch.

November 17 2012, 12:58 AM	#34
Kestra Vice Admiral Location: somewhere beautiful	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly I just want to point out that it's not always possible to avoid things you are allergic to. For example, someone allergic to trees might know not to go near them. But sit in a classroom that has had open windows, or next to someone who dries their clothes outside, and you can stil, react. I'm not saying ban everything, just that awareness can only go so far.

November 17 2012, 05:40 PM	#35
Rhubarbodendron Fleet Captain Location: Milky Way, outer spiral arm, Sol 3	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly I'm allergic to fools. Can someone please remove all politicians from this planet? __________________ Eve is the revised, improved and updated version of Adam [Helen Vita]

November 17 2012, 09:04 PM	#37
-Brett- Rear Admiral	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly I hope the kid doens't share mom's attitude. I can just imagine how well it'll go over with her prospective employers when she demands that they pay for extensive landscaping around the workplace, and impose limits on what the other employees are allowed to bring in for lunch.

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US

November 17 2012, 11:22 PM	#40
teacake Admiral Location: Militant Janeway True Path Devotees Compound. With Sehlats.	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly Above the tree line! That would be hell. I knew some people who moved to French Island which is a flat wasteland to avoid allergies. __________________ Rider: I can't believe you'd kill me for a field of empty holes. J'onn: It's all I have. ■ ■ ■ Janeway does Melbourne

November 18 2012, 11:40 AM	#41
macloudt Annoyingly polite Location: a Canuck in southwest England	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly Living in a place with no medical facilities when you suffer from allergies may not be the best idea, though. While I'd love to visit above Canada's tree line, I'm too much of a city girl to want to live there. __________________ "Tough and funny and a little bit kind: that is as near to perfection as a human being can be."--Mignon McLaughlin My crafting and cooking blog

November 18 2012, 07:04 PM	#42
Deckerd Fleet Arse Location: in the Frozen Wastes	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly Orkney or Shetland. Full Scottish social, educational and health services. No trees. __________________ They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance.

November 18 2012, 07:12 PM	#43
JiNX-01 Asst. Chief Engineer NX01 Location: Under Cmdr. Tucker	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly If the kid is allergic to nuts, maybe she should be taken away from her mother. __________________ I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. -- Neil Armstrong 1930-2012 --

November 22 2012, 09:06 PM	#45
bbailey861 Vice Admiral Location: Kingston, ON	Re: Nut-allergic child's mom demands oak trees be removed from schooly Bid to banish trees has ended: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11...yber-bullying/