re: terrified parents

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: dgoodfellow-at-highstream-dot-net 

Indeed, I seem to have invoked the "200% of nothing" concept by citing 
statistics on regularly used consumer items. Before it gets way too off 
topic, let me just say this...
One of my hobbies is consumer fireworks. It is constantly being attacked by 
politicians as being completely unsafe and unfit for use by the general 
public. Politicians often point out the statistics of fireworks injuries. 
Fireworks, (as far as items that are evaluated and passed by the consumer 
product safety commission), injure very few people. True, we don't all use 
fireworks 365 days a year and if we did, statistics would be different. One 
of the only defenses that we enthusiasts have are the counter statistics 
available on every day "harmless items".
     Somehow it is ok for us to loose many lives by lighting candles, but 
if one person is hurt  by building and operating a Tesla coil, we are all 
threatened  in our enjoyment of the pursuit of long arcs. My identifying 
the statistics was not so much to promote the safety of high voltage 
devices compared to everything else, as much as to state (as accurately as 
I could), that people get hurt or killed from many things that are thought 
to be virtually harmless.
     Yes, the numbers are worthless as far as identifying the truth with 
all things being even. For moms and politicians, numbers can pass or fail a 
project!
Above all else, strive to keep this hobby alive by being cautious and 
courteous as possible.

DG